Welfare Provision Research Articles

Paradigm shift: Exploring the impact of digital technologies on the welfare state through a systematic literature review

AbstractThis systematic literature review (SLR) explores the impact of digital technologies on welfare states and bureaucracies, analyzing the evolving dynamics between the state and citizens. The integration of digital technologies reshapes traditional interactions, granting citizens new levels of autonomy and responsibility. Service delivery evolves from conventional bureaucracies to dynamic, data‐driven systems. Employing the PRISMA methodology, the review covers articles from 2017 to 2024, synthesizing insights from 37 selected articles. Key themes, challenges, and opportunities associated with digital transformation in the welfare state are identified. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners navigating the complex intersection of technology and welfare provision. It underscores the need for a balanced approach to welfare transformation, addressing both the benefits of digitalization and potential challenges such as exclusion, citizen profiling, and other ethical concerns.

Labor welfare policy, practices, and deficiencies with the ILO: evidence from the garment industry of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Labor welfare, aligned with the standards set by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and effectively practiced, plays a vital role in ensuring the optimal functioning and protection of the labor force within an industry. The garment supply chain is a significant contributor to the national economy in Bangladesh. However, labor welfare in this sector falls short of expectations due to inadequate access to facilities and benefits such as transportation, recreation, housing, and education. As such, it is of interest to see whether the labor welfare policies in Bangladesh’s garment factories align with ILO guidelines, how these policies impact workers’ overall well-being, and the extent to which the garment industry adheres to the prescribed labor welfare standards in the country. Using a mixed-method research design, the study reveals that nine welfare factors significantly correlate with worker well-being. Nevertheless, the study underscores the disparity between current labor welfare policies under labor law and those recommended by the ILO, revealing substandard labor welfare provisions and practices. The study’s outcomes can guide policymakers, business leaders, and stakeholders in enhancing labor welfare practices, ultimately aiming to improve worker well-being and work efficiency.

Crowding out or crowding in? The interaction between public pensions and private transfers in China

ABSTRACT Public pensions and intergenerational family support are among the most important and well-researched income sources for older individuals in many societies. However, the interactions between them have received less attention. A few exceptions discuss if public transfers ‘crowd out’ private transfers. Yet, these studies in developed welfare states are considered misplaced due to their ‘fait accompli’ support arrangements. Furthermore, the cultural and symbolic value of support is often overlooked in these debates. Focusing on the case of China, where family support is institutionalized and public pension coverage is expanding, this study aims to contribute to the ‘crowding-out’ debates by examining intergenerational family transfers following the recent public pension reforms. Based on Heckman two-step regression analyses of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2015), the study shows that the ‘crowding-out’ and ‘crowding-in’ effects of public pensions co-exist. The long-established employee pension schemes reduced child-to-parent transfers, but increased parent-to-child transfers. More importantly, access to the new resident pensions, rather than displacing family support, has in effect ‘crowded in’ more child-to-parent transfers. These findings provide new insights into the dynamics between working-age and older generations, as well as between the state and family concerning their roles in welfare provision.

The Demands of the Disabled: Masculinity, Disability, and Citizenship in the Late Imperial Russian Military

AbstractIn the years after 1905, catastrophic war, widespread political and social unrest, and rising demands from across all segments of the empire’s population forced the Russian imperial state to develop a rudimentary social contract with military personnel and implement a series of reforms to prevent the reoccurrence of military disaster and mass social unrest. These reforms entitled disabled veterans to some forms of state support that were denied to their civilian counterparts, including assistance finding work, pensions, and free prosthetic devices. These entitlements were part of a broader shift away from paternalistic approaches to social welfare provision toward the early germinations of a gendered and selective welfare state. Disability support was dependent on proximity to the military, which cemented the idea that civic inclusion—and by extension, Russian manhood—was something achieved only through military service. This article examines interactions between veterans with disabilities and representatives of the Russian imperial state to explore shifting conceptions of masculinity and the development of new political subjectivities in the aftermath of war. The Russian imperial military can be regarded as a test site within which masculine identities were negotiated and reconfigured amid the social, economic, and political transformations of the late imperial period.

Menganalisis Pengelolaan Manajemen Tenaga Pendidik dan Kependidikan: Strategi, Faktor Penghambat, dan Solusi Pada Pondok Pesantren Terpadu Raudhatul Jannah

Educational staff management is the process of planning, organizing, mobilizing, and controlling teachers and all components within an educational institution to achieve objectives effectively and efficiently. This article uses a descriptive and qualitative approach by collecting primary and secondary data through interviews, observations, and documentation. The main issues examined in this research are considerations in the placement and assignment of educational staff, as well as the impact of financial conditions on the management of educational staff. The purpose of this research is to find solutions to existing problems in the management of educational staff so that these issues can be addressed. The results of the study show that in the placement and assignment of educational staff, factors that need to be considered include educational background, teaching experience, competence, and the needs of the institution. Additionally, financial conditions significantly influence the management of educational staff, including the provision of facilities, professional development, and teacher welfare. To address these problems, strategic efforts are needed, such as thorough planning of educational staff needs, the development of a transparent evaluation and promotion system, and the adequate allocation of budgets for teacher welfare and professional development. Thus, the management of educational staff can run more effectively and efficiently, allowing educational goals to be optimally achieved.

What does universalism mean in social housing - moral justification of social housing in Finland

This paper is about the justification for social housing and, more broadly, different considerations for universalist provision of public goods. Globally, social housing has undergone a retrenchment phase in recent decades; it has been impacted by the financialisaton of housing and critiques claiming social housing is an inefficient and unfair use of public money. Nevertheless, as examples from Finland show, social housing still has a recognised role as part of welfare state policies. To understand how social housing advocates operate in this strained position, this paper analyses interview data collected from 23 experts in the field of social housing. The analysis—which draws on Boltanski and Thévenot's theory of public justification—shows that social housing officials are consistent in their views, emphasising decommodification of housing and supporting tenants' equal right for home and citizenship. These notes are interpreted through the tradition of the Nordic conception of welfare states. The findings open new opportunities to discuss connections between cultural legacies and divergent considerations for provision of welfare.

ინტეგრაციისა და რეინტეგრაციის ბენეფიციარების საჭიროების კვლევა

Georgia faces significant challenges, the main of which is the rapid and sustainable development of the country's economy in adherence to the principles of the free market, the establishment of institutions relevant to the modern European and universal democratic values system, the provision of social welfare, and integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic space. Overcoming these challenges and building a modern democratic state requires systemic changes in the management and implementation of state policy. Despite the legislative reforms implemented in the field of migration in recent years, the improvement of legal mechanisms for regulating this area remains a challenge, while certain issues still require legal regulation due to the needs of the beneficiaries. Based on the results of the survey, it is advisable to implement the following measures in order to better integrate internationally protected persons: promoting the teaching of the Georgian language, improving access to public services, employment assistance, budget increase of integration programs.

Towards an understanding of maltreatment in football.

This study explored the understanding of maltreatment from the perspective of various personnel working in roles related to safeguarding and welfare in English professional and semi-professional football. Through a social constructivist position, the present study was able to explore multiple understandings and perceptions of maltreatment in football. Individual semi-structured interviews (MDuration = 68.00 minutes, SD = 9.05 minutes) were conducted with 19 participants working across league structures ranging from the English Premier League (EPL) to the English Northern Premier League Division One, as well as individuals working with some of the principal organizations in English professional football. Through reflexive thematic analysis, three general dimensions were highlighted: "current understanding of maltreatment in football," "constituents of maltreatment," and "signs and symptoms of maltreatment." Findings from those working in a safeguarding capacity mirror the research literature around understanding the components of maltreatment but also demonstrate how wrongdoing is nuanced by the football context, in that certain forms of maltreatment are driven by the unique nature of this environment. From an applied perspective, the findings also outline how to distinguish both the more overt and covert signs and symptoms of maltreatment, whilst also highlighting the impact of maltreatment on individuals' mental health and their sense of self. Overall, the findings provide a platform for practitioners and researchers to consider in the design of safeguarding and welfare provision by highlighting the need to raise knowledge and awareness of maltreatment whilst intervening to challenge the prevailing workplace culture within professional football.

Establishing Effective Reserve Components: Lessons Learned from Russia

This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method to explore lessons that can be drawn from Russia's experience in building an effective military reserve component. The article discusses the importance of establishing a robust and effective reserve force in Indonesia, drawing lessons from Russia's experiences and strategies employed by other nations. It emphasizes the need for a well-structured organization, clear command structures, efficient hierarchies, and regular training programs. The integration of technology and information systems, as well as the provision of welfare and incentives, is also highlighted as essential components for enhancing the effectiveness and readiness of Indonesia's reserve forces. The document also emphasizes the necessity of clear regulations and policies to provide a strong legal framework, ensuring the operational effectiveness and integrity of Indonesia's reserve forces. Additionally, it underscores the importance of integrating reserve components with regular forces through joint exercises, standardized doctrines, and operational procedures. The document concludes by emphasizing the opportunity for Indonesia to design a resilient reserve force by learning from Russia's challenges and strategies employed by other nations, ensuring the creation of a large, effective, well-trained, and deployable reserve force to balance and strengthen the overall national defense system.

Beyond Cronyism: Local Governance and Welfare Provision by Large Companies in Russian Monotowns

In the 2000s, rather than choosing between abandonment and restructuring, Russian authorities opted to maintain the socio-economic status quo in monotowns, an important source of support for the Putin regime. Yet, this status quo is not a given equilibrium; it needs constant maintenance through cooperation between state and business actors, especially under the severe financial constraints of regional and local budgets. This single case study explores how and why local authorities and large companies cooperate in monotowns to provide public goods at the nexus of vertical pressures and horizontal incentives. We show that public goods are produced through resource pooling in a network-like cooperation between public and private actors.

Potentialities of Technosol-isolated PGPB consortium in promoting plant growth in lettuce seedlings

Abstract Background and aims Reducing land degradation and safeguarding agricultural productions ensures the provision of ecosystem services and economic welfare, as highlighted by the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Among the promising solutions to tackle these issues, the study investigates the use of Technosol-isolated PGPB, as a novel approach for enhancing plant growth and the capability to cope with soil salinization. Methods Several bacteria have been isolated from a Technosol in Naples (Italy), selected to produce a consortium, based on their PGP features and tested on lettuce. The promotion of lettuce growth was evaluated both in soil (sterilized and not-sterilized Technosols) and in water agar media differing in NaCl concentrations, focusing on total polyphenols, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, soluble proteins, and sugars, which were evaluated on seedlings. Results Germination kinetics differed among treatments in both soil and artificial media setups. In the Technosol trial, the PGPB treated seeds were the quickest to emerge, showing a higher radical scavenging activity and lower soluble carbohydrate content. In the salinity trial, total soluble proteins were significantly higher in primed seeds at null saline cocentration. Conclusion Our results indicate that the PGPB application has a beneficial outcome on the Technosol but under saline stress produces an inhibitory or a costly effect on the biochemistry and germination kinetics. However, Technosol PGPBs employement may open new research scenarios on their potential application considering Nature-Based Solutions and/or plant growth in degraded environments.

Investing in the community: English local authorities and the ‘patient investment’ of economic regeneration

ABSTRACT This paper explores increasing emphasis on long-term investment in English devolution policy, as part of attempts to revitalise struggling communities through investment in infrastructure and public space. English councils seek to offset the financial difficulties they faced due to austerity cuts by establishing their own corporations, joint ventures, and investment partnerships, in order to generate needed income by creating economic flows from capital markets to public services. They have, consequently, envisaged a form of ‘patient investment’ in their communities, taking a long-term view of economic regeneration that aims to balance the risk of investment with the reward of local growth. The rollout of the Levelling Up agenda in February 2022 entrenches the narrative of patient investment as a conduit to regional regeneration, although it emphasises investment in infrastructure projects primarily for the purpose of attracting business and industry to deprived areas. Through a narrative policy analysis of Parliamentary debates about Levelling Up in England, I examine the turn towards long-term investment as an ethical shift in conceptions of welfare provision which prioritises private sector expansion for its potential to drive economic improvement. In this understanding, quality of life in communities is tied to growth and profit, rather than social support.

Social safety net features in East Asia: A comparative analysis using the model family approach

AbstractEast Asian (EA) social welfare has been described as productivist, where social policies are subordinate to economic development. However, EA comparative studies often focus on a few select social policies and seldom examine welfare programs as a bundle. We contribute to the depiction of divergent features of EA safety nets by exploring welfare content (generosity, coverage, protective vs. productive, and work incentives) and welfare outcomes (poverty reduction and income redistribution) for lower‐income populations in the largest city in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. We collected model family (MF) data and analyzed the data through descriptive statistics and regression models. We found that Taiwan and Hong Kong, followed by Japan, have more generous programs for reducing poverty, while Korea focuses on productive programs; Singapore offers wide coverage and strong work incentives for low‐income families yet lags behind in generosity; and China appears to be a laggard in welfare provision in the region. Our findings reveal heterogeneity within EA welfare systems, and our synthesis of welfare features using MF data offers a promising, innovative strategy for conducting comparative research in regions with limited comparable data.

Bordered welfare in Australia: Income management as a bordering technology of neoliberal and colonial governance

In this article we investigate the imposition of compulsory income management on racialised categories of welfare recipient in Australia, identify the contribution made by neoliberalism and settler colonialism in shaping that policy, and characterise income management as a form of ‘bordered welfare’. We begin by acknowledging that key features of neoliberal governance include an ideological aversion to the provision of welfare and the shifting of responsibility onto individuals to promote their own financial security and wellbeing. This has been accompanied by punitive approaches to welfare provision for those perceived to be deficient neoliberal citizens and a commitment to using financial levers, including the welfare system, to shape all manner of human behaviour. We trace the contours of the income management system and report the views of Aboriginal organisations and community leaders about their differential treatment as welfare recipients, noting that restrictions on financial autonomy are a well-documented form of surveillance and control historically directed towards Aboriginal Peoples in Australia. We conclude that this system operates as a form of bordered welfare that classifies certain categories of Aboriginal people as deficient citizens, subjecting them to differential, and detrimental, treatment driven by the ideologies and technologies of both neoliberalism and settler colonialism.

Inequities in urban tree care based on socioeconomic status

Urban trees are key elements for livable cities because they provide ecological, social, and economic benefits. Due to their importance, tree care should assure their welfare and ecosystem service provision. Among tree care strategies, pruning is highly controversial because it can be performed poorly, risking tree and human welfare. For the first time, we investigate whether the “luxury effect”, that describes a positive effect of human wealth on plant diversity, extends to urban tree care. In the Latin American city of Santiago de Chile, we sampled trees in 120 sites located in residential areas of different socioeconomic status. At each site, a trained forester evaluated each tree recording the occurrence and quality of pruning. We used a Generalized Linear Mixed Model with logistic distribution to estimate the probability of good pruning according to socioeconomic status. We found most trees (82 % of 510 trees) were pruned and most of them had poor corrective pruning applied. Good pruning increased with socioeconomic status of neighborhoods: 15 %, 31 %, and 54 % of pruned trees in low, medium, and high socioeconomic status, respectively. There was a significantly higher probability of finding well pruned trees in residential areas of high socioeconomic stratum than in lower strata. Our study reveals that trees in poorer zones are massively affected by the extended application of poor pruning that, in turn, risk ecosystem service provision for vulnerable people. Urgent strategies need to be implemented to prevent further tree damage in Santiago de Chile, especially in lower socioeconomic zones. Due to the widespread application of poor pruning on residential trees in our city and the paucity of local and global research on the relationship between socioeconomics and urban tree care practices, we make a call to investigate these patterns, especially in cities that exhibit social, economic, and environmental segregation.

Older Carers and Social Division of Welfare in China

This study used the social division of welfare approach to analyze how Chinese older carers have access unequally to pensions, medical insurance, and public assistance schemes. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 40 older carers aged 60 years or above who were taking care of their family members with disabilities or chronic illnesses. The amount of pension and coverage of medical insurance of these respondents and their care recipients was affected by their employment, types of employers, and living locations. Moreover, the older carers’ capacity to address financial and medical burdens was associated with the available support from their family members, especially their adult children. This paper concludes that the social division of welfare amongst older carers was driven by China’s market-oriented pension and medical insurance reforms, decentralization of welfare provisions, and the welfare capacity of families. Future studies can examine the social division of welfare among young and minority ethnic carers and adopt a comparative approach to analyze factors shaping unequal access to welfare benefits among older carers in different countries.

Dilemma between Economic Incentives and the Public Provision of Welfare: SER Trade-offs in China’s economic development and its healthcare reforms, 1979~2022

China experienced drastic economic development over the past decades, beginning with its Open-Door policy in the 1980s which led to its entrance into the world capitalist liberal trade economy. Throughout the process, both the public and private sectors underwent substantial structural reforms and transformations which led to changes in the citizens’ lives in relation to their access to social welfare and services. As a country that has ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), China’s healthcare system will be examined in this paper under the extent to which it has fulfilled the state’s obligations discussed by the ICESCR regarding the principles of substantive equality and non-discrimination. A comparison will be made between rural and urban areas’ healthcare provisions, and the population of rural migrant workers who work in urban areas will be of special concern.

Entrepreneurial Philanthropy at Cromford, Quarry Bank, and Saltaire Mills during the Industrial Revolution

AbstractThis article offers a spatial examination of entrepreneurial philanthropy at Cromford, Quarry Bank, and Saltaire mills during the industrial revolution. It argues that entrepreneurial philanthropy at these mills, with its new social relations, was influenced by both market competition and philanthropy, to the extent that active welfare provision was dependent on profitable enterprise and creation of wealth. It demonstrates that the extent and nature of philanthropy intended, implemented, and experienced at each of these entrepreneurial projects was determined by site-specific factors with unique effects in space and time. The article builds on existing research into the socially transformative impact of the industrial revolution by developing the concept of philanthropic space to enable a fresh assessment of the relationship between capital and welfare. It suggests that, within these communities, the development of philanthropic space addressed some of the causes and effects of discontent of the working classes associated with the ‘condition-of-England question’. In particular, the discipline of education became an increasingly important component of both enhanced philanthropic development by owners and the experience of workers, offering opportunities for self-improvement. At the same time, discipline and control were ostensibly paradoxical within, yet established and essential features of, philanthropic space.

Beyond trade-offs: Exploring the changing interplay of public and private welfare provision in old age and health in the historical long-run

Modern welfare states compete with private providers of welfare in offering economic security. This is most evident in the case of pensions competing with life insurance and private pensions as well as of public health insurance competing with private insurance providers. The common view of this public–private relationship is one of a trade-off: longitudinally, political scientists describe how retrenchment was pushed by privatized welfare, whereas economists trace the crowding-out of private to public welfare provisions. Cross-sectionally, they claim that countries have lower public spending levels because they have a large private sector. We suggest a more nuanced view. Drawing on a new long-run panel data of public pension and private life insurance expenditures and contributions in 20 OECD countries since Bismarck to the current day, we show that in the postwar years a cross-sectional trade-off emerged, which then faded. Longitudinally, complementary relationships of public and private provision growth have become the norm. We argue theoretically and show empirically that trade-offs only occur if governments still hold (waning) anti-interventionist and pro-market views.

Politicization of Non-state Cash Transfers: The Cases of Uganda and Tanzania

Social cash transfers (CTs) have expanded considerably in Africa over the last decade. While the largest programmes are run by public institutions, non-state actors are increasingly becoming involved, but have attracted less academic attention. CTs are particular in that they are more fungible and liquid than other types of welfare provision, meaning that they are more difficult to control for both providers and governments. This article explores state strategies in relation to CTs by non-state actors focusing on when and how they are politicized. We analyse politicization from two intertwined vantage points. Firstly, we argue that the distributional logic in a society’s social contract contributes to understanding how and when cash transfers become politicized. We analyse the distributional logic along a continuum from universalist to partisan and apply this analytical lens to Tanzania and Uganda. Secondly, we suggest that politicization is intertwined with how the states coordinate non-state-CTs. We show that in Tanzania non-state-CTs are integrated into the state’s framework of social protection, while in Uganda they primarily operate on the margins of the state. In both cases, however, the state retains control over non-state-CTs and uses them politically, albeit in different ways, in order to maintain its relations with important constituencies. Hence, our analytical framework, which combines analysis of the distributional logic in the social contract and the mode of coordination, enables us to unpack when and how non-state-CTs are politicized, as well as how the tensions between governments and non-state-CTs have been handled differently in the two countries.