Welfare Recipients Research Articles

Neoliberal ideology and negative attitudes toward immigrants: Evidence from a survey and survey experiment in Japan

AbstractExisting research has emphasized that neoliberalism triggers anti‐immigrant attitudes. At the national level, this has been attributed to two context‐dependent mechanisms: the existence of radical right‐wing political parties that combine pro‐market ideology with authoritarian social conservatism, and an ethnically and racially heterogeneous environment in which immigrants are over‐identified as welfare recipients. However, these associations may not be context‐dependent because the majority of people tends to share the stereotype of immigrants as incompetent and welfare‐dependent. To test this, we used the case of Japan, where the presence of radical right‐wing parties is marginal in national politics and the size of immigrants is considerably small. By analyzing representative survey data, we showed that neoliberalism is associated with anti‐immigrant attitudes, even in Japan. Furthermore, we conducted a survey experiment in which we varied the skill level and country of origin of immigrants in vignettes. The results showed that respondents who espoused the neoliberal ideology were more sensitive to the skill level of immigrants. These respondents strongly opposed low‐skilled immigrants and in favor of high‐skilled immigrants. They were also opposed to the immigration of certain ethinic groups—Chinese immigrants. These results suggest that the association between neoliberalism and anti‐immigrant attitudes is not necessarily context‐dependent, but rather that stereotypes about immigrants facilitate the association.

Back and forth? The role of labour market resources and segments for work-related exits from and returns to welfare benefit receipt in Germany

AbstractThe German economy has witnessed a stable upswing in the last decade. At the same time, receipt of welfare benefits did not decline substantially. In a dualised labour market and a welfare system under an activation paradigm (Unemployment Benefit II), many (former) welfare recipients face instable and lowpaid employment opportunities. Hence, returns to benefit receipt are rather common. Using administrative data and hazard rate models, we study the determinants of stable exits from welfare to employment focussing on the labour market segment after exit. Employment-related exits are slightly more common and significantly more stable than other exits. Labour market resources are associated with quicker employment-related exits, but not always with longer self-sufficiency. The stability of exits is also related to the economic sector and the type of employment. The results indicate that in addition to encouraging leaving welfare receipt, measures promoting good and sustainable employment are needed.

How Welfare Policies Can Change Trust – A Social Experiment Assessing the Impact of Social Assistance Policy on Political and Social Trust

Abstract While there is a substantive literature on the link between welfare states and individuals’ trust, little is known about the micro-linkage of the conditionality of welfare as a driver of trust. This study presents a unique randomized social experiment investigating this link. Recipients of the regular Dutch social assistance policy are compared to recipients of two alternative schemes inspired by the basic income and based on a more trusting and unconditional approach, testing the main reciprocity argument in the literature: a trusting government will harvest trust from welfare recipients in return. Particularly trust in local government – the level at which the experiment was implemented – increases among recipients of the alternative treatments. Subsequently, we innovatively theorize and test rigorously which mediating mechanisms might explain this increase. Policy evaluation, social integration, and psychological well-being are studied in this respect. Of these, the only underlying mechanism proven to mediate the treatment effect in local political trust, is citizens’ satisfaction with policy.

Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among older recipients of public welfare assistance in Japan

BackgroundThe high suicide rate among older adults is an important public health issue. Financial insecurity has been linked to suicidal behaviour. Despite this, as yet, there has been little research...

Analysing intersecting social resources in young people’s ability to suggest safer sex - results from a national population-based survey in Sweden

BackgroundSafer sex is one of the most crucial areas in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Drawing on the theory of health promotion where social life generates resources for health our hypothesis is that having control over one’s life situation, affects the ability for safer sex and thereby sexual health. The aim is to explore the association between having control over one’s life and the ability to suggest safer sex among young people aged 16–29, and how this plays out in relation to membership of six constructed social groups based on: gender, transgender experience, sexual identity, economy, being foreign-born, and social welfare recipiency followed by an in-depth analysis of the intersection of gender and sexual identity.MethodsThe data set comprises cross-sectional survey responses from a stratified random sample of 7755 in the total Swedish population of young people. The SRHR-focused questionnaire was developed within the HIV-monitoring program at the Public Health Agency of Sweden. Data collection was conducted by Statistics Sweden between April 15 and June 8 in 2015. The survey had a response rate of 26%, which was in line with the study design. Statistical analysis was used to explore the self-reported outcome variable ability for safer sex and the exposure variable control over one’s life. The methods used comprise multivariate logistic regression and an intersecting multivariate regression exploring 12 intersecting social positions by gender and sexual identity.ResultsThe results show that young people’s control over their lives is associated with their ability for safer sex. Due to this, control over one’s life can be seen as a resource for safer sex. The associations in the 12 intersecting social positions showed complex patterns.ConclusionsThe intersections of resources show the complexity and that gender cannot account for all differences in the resources for young people’s ability to suggest safer sex. Implications for policy and practitioners involve both addressing and strengthening the sexual rights of young people from sexual minorities and tailoring interventions in a way that takes the intersections between gender and sexual identity into consideration.

Vulnerability Analysis in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) — Indications of Intersecting Vulnerable Positions in a National Survey Among Young People in Sweden

IntroductionSexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) policies use gender as the foremost social determinant to explain vulnerability in relation to SRHR among young people. Therefore, our aim was to explore intersecting vulnerable positions within the three SRHR-related outcome areas: unsafe sex, sex against one’s will, and transactional sex, among young people aged 16–29.MethodsThe data set is from a randomised, cross-sectional, and population-based SRHR survey conducted in Sweden in 2015, and the 7755 respondents imply a response rate (26%) in line with the power estimations. How gender intersects with five other social positions, i.e. social determinants (sexual identity, transgender experience, perceived economy, being foreign-born, and social welfare recipiency), was explored through a stepwise descriptive intersecting vulnerability analysis exemplified through three outcome variables: unsafe sex, sex against one’s will, and transactional sex.ResultsGender intersects with other social determinants and creates vulnerable positions in SRHR-related outcomes. The most vulnerable positions within each of the three outcome variables were the following: (1) for unsafe sex: being a man and homosexual; (2) for sex against one’s will: being a woman and bisexual; and (3) for transactional sex: being a man and having transgender experience.ConclusionsDespite limitations, the descriptive intersecting vulnerability analysis indicates how gender intersects with other social determinants and generates multiple vulnerable positions in relation to SRHR.Policy ImplicationsThe results can be of interest in future studies on vulnerability and inform policies that intend to fulfil the intention of leaving no one behind, as stated in the Agenda 2030.

Associations between childhood maltreatment and psychiatric disorders: analysis from electronic health records in Hong Kong

There has been a lack of high-quality evidence concerning the association between childhood maltreatment and psychiatric diagnoses particularly for Axis II disorders. This study aimed to examine the association between childhood maltreatment exposure and Axis I and Axis II psychiatry disorders using electronic health records. In this study, the exposed group (n = 7473) comprised patients aged 0 to 19 years with a first-time record of maltreatment episode between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2010, whereas the unexposed group (n = 26,834) comprised individuals of the same gender and age who were admitted into the same hospital in the same calendar year and month but had no records of maltreatment in the Hong Kong Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS). Data on their psychiatric diagnoses recorded from the date of admission to January 31, 2019 were extracted. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was fitted to estimate the hazard ratio (HR, plus 95% CIs) between childhood maltreatment exposure and psychiatric diagnoses, adjusting for age at index visit, sex, and government welfare recipient status. Results showed that childhood maltreatment exposure was significantly associated with subsequent diagnosis of conduct disorder/ oppositional defiant disorder (adjusted HR, 10.99 [95% CI 6.36, 19.01]), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (7.28 [5.49, 9.65]), and personality disorders (5.36 [3.78, 7.59]). The risk of psychiatric disorders following childhood maltreatment did not vary by history of childhood sexual abuse, age at maltreatment exposure, and gender. Individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment are vulnerable to psychiatric disorders. Findings support the provision of integrated care within the primary health care setting to address the long-term medical and psychosocial needs of individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment.

Editorial: Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the welfare state, its actors and benefit recipients

Article Editorial: Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the welfare state, its actors and benefit recipients was published on May 1, 2022 in the journal Zeitschrift für Sozialreform (volume 68, issue 1).

The intersection of welfare stigma, state contexts and health among mothers receiving public assistance benefits

The stigmatizing nature of the US welfare system is of particular importance not only because it has shown to deter eligible applicants from participating in public assistance programs despite facing economic hardship, but also because stigma is an important fundamental cause of health inequities. Although scholars agree stigma is shaped by individual and contextual dimensions, the role of context is often overlooked. Given the heterogeneous nature of US state welfare environments, it may be critical to consider the ways in which state policy, social and economic contexts condition the relationship between welfare stigma and health. Using a multilevel lens, this study first examined the impact of experienced and perceived welfare stigma on self-reported health among female public assistance recipients with children. Second, we assessed the moderating effect of uneven state TANF policies, income inequality, and negative public welfare attitudes in shaping these associations. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study merged with state-level economic and social measures, we employed a series of multilevel logit models with random effects. Findings show experiences and perceptions of welfare stigma are significantly linked to poor health regardless of state contexts, and outcomes vary markedly by race, ethnicity and education. States with strong anti-welfare attitudes amplified the relationship between experienced welfare stigma and poor health for Black and Hispanic mothers, and state economic contexts modified the relationship between experienced welfare stigma and poor health for mothers with less than a high school education. TANF generosity had no moderating effect on health suggesting state policy environments have limited ability to protect welfare recipients against the stigmatizing effects of the US welfare system. Results have implications for explaining stigma related disparities in health within the context of U.S. welfare environments and informing policies that may be key levers for reducing health inequities.

Do active labor market policies for welfare recipients in Germany raise their regional outflow into work?

While many studies estimate the effects of active labor market programs (ALMPs) on the participants’ labor market outcomes, far fewer studies are concerned with the effects of these policies on the regional job-matching process. We analyze which ALMPs are particularly effective at the regional level, as well as the role local labor market conditions play for their effectiveness. We find positive effects for a number of ALMPs, but for some of these the effects differ considerably between regions with high and low unemployment. This has important policy implications.

State Policy Effects on the Suppression of CalFresh Participation Rates

ABSTRACT While California has the biggest number of SNAP recipients in the nation, participation rates are far lower than the average national participation rates. This study shows that California presents a playbook of how SNAP participation rates are suppressed due to a unique combination of factors including, the high administrative cost per case, obstacles facing senior citizens, the enduring legacy of the negative cultural and political sentiments toward immigrants and welfare recipients, as well as the application of restrictive SNAP policies such as fingerprinting SNAP applicants and banning convicted drug felons from participation.

Passing Stigma: Negotiations of Welfare Categories as Street Level Governmentality

Stigma is not the automatic outcome of power differentials, but a distinctive moral inscription generated through cultural evaluations and governmental processes. Research on welfare recipients records how the unemployed displace stigma onto other welfare recipients, positioning other(ed) claimants as the ‘real unemployed’ or ‘scroungers’. Theoretically we adapt Butler’s analysis of the psychic processes whereby subjects are formed by disavowal of discourses which abjectify them. Arguably, this is functional for the governmentalising processes of generating jobseeking, with a latent function of reinforcing activation policies. Drawing on qualitative interviews, we trace how Irish individuals negotiate the stigma attributed to or foisted upon Welfare claimants, in welfare offices and informal social interactions and in job interviews – how they attempt to ‘pass’ as good JobSeekers and pass stigma on to others. Curiously, many welfare claimants suggest governmental interventions for distinguishing and discriminating between the deserving and undeserving adopting the stigmatising perspective.

Unintended consequences of welfare reform: Evidence from birthweight of Aboriginal children in Australia

In 2007, Australia introduced its most radical welfare reform in recent history, targeting Aboriginal communities with the aim of protecting children from harm. The ‘income management’ policy forced Aboriginal welfare recipients to spend at least half of their government transfers on essentials (e.g. food, housing), and less on non-essentials (e.g. alcohol, tobacco). By exploiting its staggered rollout, we estimate the impact of in utero exposure to the policy rollout on birthweight. We find that exposure to the income management policy reduced average birthweight robustly by 85 g and increased the risk of low birth weight by 3 percentage points. This finding is not explained by behavioral change (fertility, maternal risk behavior, access to care), or survival probabilities of at-risk fetuses. More likely, a lack of policy implementation planning and infrastructure led to acute income insecurity and stress during the rollout period, exacerbating the existing health inequalities it sought to address.

Digital Practices of Negotiation: Social Workers at the Intersection of Migration and Social Policies in Switzerland and Belgium

AbstractPaperwork has always been a central part of bureaucratic work. Over the last few years, bureaucratic procedures have become increasingly standardised and digitalised. Based on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork within welfare offices in Switzerland and Belgium, we reflect on the way evidence is constructed within social policy and cases built for or against noncitizen welfare recipients in order to show how paper truths are established and challenged. The focus on digital practices within public policy implementation highlights how it contributes to enhanced control mechanisms on the implementation level and how migration law continues to guide welfare governance for noncitizens. This allows targeting of the most marginalised groups, whose rights to access state support are institutionally impeded. Through database information flows, official forms, paper reports and face-to-face meetings, we further show how a hybrid form of bureaucratic work emerges, where direct contact with the client is still key, yet highly influenced by standardisation processes.

The Role of Children’s Savings Accounts in Promoting Savings for College Among Welfare Recipients: The Case of Harold Alfond College Challenge (HACC)

The Role of Children’s Savings Accounts in Promoting Savings for College Among Welfare Recipients: The Case of Harold Alfond College Challenge (HACC)

Deserving Hukou: An Exploration of How Chinese People Evaluate Migrants’ Welfare Deservingness

AbstractWithin the welfare deservingness literature, the question of how people conceive of deservingness criteria is still underexplored. Theoretical insights indicate that identity and reciprocity criteria are more fluidly conceived by people than much deservingness literature describes. Through a qualitative analysis, I explore how Chinese people evaluate the deservingness of a group of Chinese nationals (identity) who contribute (reciprocity) but are excluded from welfare: intranational Chinese migrants. I find that Chinese people have multiple conceptions of identity and reciprocity criteria. Some conceive of identity through larger communities, such as the nation, while others conceive of it through local communities, such as the family. Reciprocity can be conceived of in a less conditional way, which means that contributions generally make one deserving, and in a more conditional way, where one’s deservingness depends on one’s ability to make more specific kinds of contributions. Welfare recipients’ deservingness becomes very dependent on respondents’ conceptions of these deservingness criteria.

“Taxpayers’ Money”: Subverting Anti-Welfare Sentiment through Irish Rap Lyrics

Since the 1990s, working-class Irish hip hop MCs have criticised the Irish social welfare system through their rap lyrics. Like most global hip hop, Irish rap uses oppositional politics to offset the stigmatising ideas of class that are propagated by the dominant classes in society, especially negative stereotypes surrounding social welfare recipients. Although not recognised within literary Irish Studies, these lyricists are producing working-class counter-narratives to classist anti-welfare sentiment in Irish society through their poetic lyrics. This article draws from Irish and international Hip Hop Studies scholarship to argue that Irish rap should be regarded as working-class Irish poetry that contains intrinsic literary and cultural value. Focusing on the work of a Louth-based hip hop group, TPM (Taxpayers’ Money), this article reads Irish rap as poetry. Using close textual analysis, I examine how TPM’s rap-poems use adversarial messages and working-class aesthetics to protest and critique anti-welfare hegemony in Ireland.

The effects of welfare time limits on access to financial resources: Evidence from the 2010s

AbstractThe Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 established the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program within the United States. TANF mandated 60‐month lifetime time limits for federal cash assistance dollars. Because states reserve the right to set their own stricter or more generous time limits, the 60‐month lifetime limit did not bind in all cases. In recent years, however, several states imposed TANF time limits for the first time or made existing time limits more stringent. Using administrative and survey data, I find that stricter time limits decrease TANF participation within the past 12 months by 26%. Unlike previous research, I find heterogeneous effects of time limits on labor supply. I show that expected effects on employment and earnings decrease—and eventually become negative—as a state's unemployment rate increases. Evidence suggests that removing welfare recipients from TANF during periods of high unemployment inhibits their access to financial resources.

남녀노인의 행복감에 영향을 미치는 요인

The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting the happiness of the elderly in Busan based on the 2019 local community health survey. It was attempted to be used as basic data in preparing various strategies to improve the happiness of the elderly in Busan, who have entered a super-aged society in the future. There were statistically significant differences in the happiness according to demographic characteristics in both male and female elderly in spouse, education level, religion, household income, welfare recipients, and unmet medical care. Factors affecting happiness in both male and female elderly were spouse, education level, religion, household income, welfare recipients, annual unmet medical care, subjective stress, subjective oral health level, and experience of depression. Subjective stress was the most influential variable on the happiness of the elderly. Subjective stress was the most influential variable on the happiness of the elderly. Therefore, in order to increase the happiness of the elderly, it will be necessary to develop and provide a systematic and efficient program that reduces stress according to the characteristics of the elderly.

‘It Isn't Charity because We've Paid into it’: Social Citizenship and the Moral Economy of Welfare Recipients in the Wake of 2012 UK Welfare Reform Act

Drawing on interviews with welfare claimants living in Essex, UK, this article examines the material and symbolic effects of the UK government’s 2012 Welfare Reform Act, and it highlights the participants’ interpretations of and responses to that. In reaction to their sense of material and symbolic exclusion, participants made moral claims for their inclusion through a notion of social citizenship based on collective reciprocity and care. They claimed to have paid-in to the national purse in various material and moral ways until circumstances outside of their control meant they could no longer do so. They thus asserted a moral-economic right to social inclusion and an ensuing right to receive adequate, non-stigmatised, and non-punitive welfare. These moral-economic claims differ from other, more public, counter-narratives to welfare reform and government austerity, and they assert a clear but subtle opposition to the market-bound logic of the reform.