Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.742452
L. Gregory
Time banking, a form of community currency facilitating time-based exchanges, developed in the United States during the 1980s before transferring to the United Kingdom in the late 1990s. Whilst now operating in over 30 countries, this paper explores the US–UK link, focusing on time bank practices within criminal justice. Examining time bank theory and the UK/US policy contexts, this paper provides an account of the Time Dollar Youth Court and the UK time bank prisons initiative, to facilitate a discussion of policy transfer and lesson drawing. Such an approach provides a fresh insight into time bank development, opening up a previously unexplored aspect of time bank policy experimentation.
{"title":"Time and punishment: a comparison of UK and US time bank use in criminal justice systems","authors":"L. Gregory","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.742452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.742452","url":null,"abstract":"Time banking, a form of community currency facilitating time-based exchanges, developed in the United States during the 1980s before transferring to the United Kingdom in the late 1990s. Whilst now operating in over 30 countries, this paper explores the US–UK link, focusing on time bank practices within criminal justice. Examining time bank theory and the UK/US policy contexts, this paper provides an account of the Time Dollar Youth Court and the UK time bank prisons initiative, to facilitate a discussion of policy transfer and lesson drawing. Such an approach provides a fresh insight into time bank development, opening up a previously unexplored aspect of time bank policy experimentation.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122944465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.749504
N. Habibov
The purpose of this study is to measure and compare income inequality and its driving forces in the low-income countries of the Caucasus by drawing on micro-data from nationally representative household surveys in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Inequality in the region of the Caucasus is very high. The Gini coefficient for the regions as a whole reached 55%. Azerbaijan has the lowest income inequality, followed by Armenia and Georgia. Among predictors, graduate and postgraduate education has the strongest positive effect on income in all countries. By contrast, the positive effect of technical vocational education is relatively smaller and can be observed only in Azerbaijan and Georgia. In addition to formal education, knowledge of English and computers also has a separate positive effect in all countries. An increase in age, and therefore an increase in years of experience, has a low positive impact on the increase in income in all countries. By contrast, being a female has the strongest negative effect on income across the region. Living in rural areas and reporting poor health is associated with having lower income.
{"title":"Income inequality and its driving forces in transitional countries: evidence from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia","authors":"N. Habibov","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.749504","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.749504","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this study is to measure and compare income inequality and its driving forces in the low-income countries of the Caucasus by drawing on micro-data from nationally representative household surveys in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Inequality in the region of the Caucasus is very high. The Gini coefficient for the regions as a whole reached 55%. Azerbaijan has the lowest income inequality, followed by Armenia and Georgia. Among predictors, graduate and postgraduate education has the strongest positive effect on income in all countries. By contrast, the positive effect of technical vocational education is relatively smaller and can be observed only in Azerbaijan and Georgia. In addition to formal education, knowledge of English and computers also has a separate positive effect in all countries. An increase in age, and therefore an increase in years of experience, has a low positive impact on the increase in income in all countries. By contrast, being a female has the strongest negative effect on income across the region. Living in rural areas and reporting poor health is associated with having lower income.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127682419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.753022
L. Foster
Pensions and their future sustainability are a central policy concern throughout the European Union. Much of the dominant policy discourse around ageing and pension provision over the last decade has focussed on postponing retirement and prolonging employment. These measures are fundamental to the notion of “active ageing”. Initially this article briefly outlines perceptions of ageing following World War II and how perspectives on ageing changed before the emergence of an active ageing framework is considered. This framework is then explored in relation to the current European pension's context. Finally, it discusses ways in which the active ageing framework can be utilised further to improve the pension situation of older people. This includes the use of a more comprehensive approach to active ageing that encompasses a life-course perspective. This framework should emphasise the potential benefits older people present for society and their well-being.
{"title":"Active ageing and pensions in the European Union","authors":"L. Foster","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.753022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.753022","url":null,"abstract":"Pensions and their future sustainability are a central policy concern throughout the European Union. Much of the dominant policy discourse around ageing and pension provision over the last decade has focussed on postponing retirement and prolonging employment. These measures are fundamental to the notion of “active ageing”. Initially this article briefly outlines perceptions of ageing following World War II and how perspectives on ageing changed before the emergence of an active ageing framework is considered. This framework is then explored in relation to the current European pension's context. Finally, it discusses ways in which the active ageing framework can be utilised further to improve the pension situation of older people. This includes the use of a more comprehensive approach to active ageing that encompasses a life-course perspective. This framework should emphasise the potential benefits older people present for society and their well-being.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"188 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122055596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.757028
{"title":"From 2013, Journal of Comparative Social Welfare will become: Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy","authors":"","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.757028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.757028","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"17 Dermatol Sect 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133376974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.736354
B. Greve
The impact of income on happiness has received much academic attention. In general, countries with a higher income per capita have higher levels of happiness; nevertheless, as Easterlin has observed, an increase in income is not necessarily correlated with an increase in happiness. Easterlin's paradox has been central to the debate. By contrast, studies do not, in general, analyse the opposite situation; that is, whether a decline in income will have a negative impact on the level of happiness. Based upon recent data from the European Social Survey this article tries to fill this gap by looking at changes in happiness in the wake of the recent financial crisis and consequent change in income as measured by gross domestic product per capita. The article, using data for 15 European countries released in 2011 covering the year 2010, concludes that such a causal relationship cannot be confirmed on the basis of the present limited data. The reason why the relationship cannot be confirmed needs to be explored further.
收入对幸福的影响受到了学术界的广泛关注。一般来说,人均收入越高的国家幸福水平越高;然而,正如伊斯特林所观察到的,收入的增加并不一定与幸福感的增加相关。伊斯特林的悖论一直是这场辩论的核心。相比之下,研究通常不会分析相反的情况;也就是说,收入的下降是否会对幸福水平产生负面影响。根据欧洲社会调查(European Social Survey)的最新数据,本文试图通过观察最近金融危机后幸福感的变化以及由此产生的以人均国内生产总值(gdp)衡量的收入变化来填补这一空白。这篇文章使用了2011年发布的15个欧洲国家2010年的数据,得出的结论是,基于目前有限的数据,这种因果关系无法得到证实。这种关系不能被证实的原因还需要进一步探讨。
{"title":"The impact of the financial crisis on happiness in affluent European countries","authors":"B. Greve","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.736354","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.736354","url":null,"abstract":"The impact of income on happiness has received much academic attention. In general, countries with a higher income per capita have higher levels of happiness; nevertheless, as Easterlin has observed, an increase in income is not necessarily correlated with an increase in happiness. Easterlin's paradox has been central to the debate. By contrast, studies do not, in general, analyse the opposite situation; that is, whether a decline in income will have a negative impact on the level of happiness. Based upon recent data from the European Social Survey this article tries to fill this gap by looking at changes in happiness in the wake of the recent financial crisis and consequent change in income as measured by gross domestic product per capita. The article, using data for 15 European countries released in 2011 covering the year 2010, concludes that such a causal relationship cannot be confirmed on the basis of the present limited data. The reason why the relationship cannot be confirmed needs to be explored further.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121996258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-10-01DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.755932
Suk-Young Kang, T. D. Watts
This brief introduction and bibliography on historical perspectives of North Korea is intended to shed more light on one of the most reclusive countries in the world. A seminal portal for understanding is the history of North Korea. After a brief introduction, some key, selected, bibliographical references are provided.
{"title":"Historical perspectives on North Korea: a brief introduction and bibliography","authors":"Suk-Young Kang, T. D. Watts","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.755932","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.755932","url":null,"abstract":"This brief introduction and bibliography on historical perspectives of North Korea is intended to shed more light on one of the most reclusive countries in the world. A seminal portal for understanding is the history of North Korea. After a brief introduction, some key, selected, bibliographical references are provided.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"562 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123154365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-06-01DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.655986
Ingo Bode
To the extent that it has engaged with the philosophical debate on distributive justice, comparative social policy analysis has emphasised the importance of social solidarity. It is asserted that vast disparities in income and wealth are destructive of the mutual obligations that root the individual in the community. A fraternal society, we are told, requires statutory measures to circumscribe differentials in the distribution of material resources. In particular, solidarity requires publicly administered services and income transfers that cohere around the principle of universality, which can be defined in terms of equality of treatment regarding access and benefit entitlements. Privately administered services and transfers, where access is determined in terms of the cash nexus, reinforce social divisions and are therefore fundamentally incapable of sustaining solidarity. The dominant normative paradigm in the comparative social policy literature, then, holds that there is a single model of pensions that is capable of realising egalitarian distributive ends, and that alternative models, particularly those that rely on private provision, should be rejected. Hyde and Dixon’s book takes issue with this argument, first by highlighting the range of normative ideals that can inform the design and evaluation of pensions, and second by illustrating the ways in which privately administered retirement schemes can address the concerns that are important to distributive justice. This is an exciting undertaking that is approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective, with a focus on the pension provision that exists in the space between the two worlds of private and state retirement systems. This intermediate sphere is rarely addressed by the wider literature dealing with retirement provision, either from an economic or a social policy perspective. For this volume – which is well-written and easily accessible to the non-expert – the Editors have brought together scholars from far around the globe, all distinguished experts in the field, and each with an impressive record of academic experience that is highly relevant to the aims of the book. A particular theme discussed throughout the volume is the role of non-market/ non-state actors and agencies in the organisation and administration of pensions, which is an important issue both empirically and theoretically. A central premise of the book is that once we consider this role we begin to understand that the private organisation of retirement provision (with ‘‘private’’ meaning that pension saving is devolved to non-statutory agencies running funded plans) does not necessarily result in the problematic outcomes that are commonly associated with free unregulated markets.
{"title":"Comparing how various nations administer retirement income: essays on social security, privatisation, and inter-generational covenants, edited by Mark Hyde and John Dixon","authors":"Ingo Bode","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.655986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.655986","url":null,"abstract":"To the extent that it has engaged with the philosophical debate on distributive justice, comparative social policy analysis has emphasised the importance of social solidarity. It is asserted that vast disparities in income and wealth are destructive of the mutual obligations that root the individual in the community. A fraternal society, we are told, requires statutory measures to circumscribe differentials in the distribution of material resources. In particular, solidarity requires publicly administered services and income transfers that cohere around the principle of universality, which can be defined in terms of equality of treatment regarding access and benefit entitlements. Privately administered services and transfers, where access is determined in terms of the cash nexus, reinforce social divisions and are therefore fundamentally incapable of sustaining solidarity. The dominant normative paradigm in the comparative social policy literature, then, holds that there is a single model of pensions that is capable of realising egalitarian distributive ends, and that alternative models, particularly those that rely on private provision, should be rejected. Hyde and Dixon’s book takes issue with this argument, first by highlighting the range of normative ideals that can inform the design and evaluation of pensions, and second by illustrating the ways in which privately administered retirement schemes can address the concerns that are important to distributive justice. This is an exciting undertaking that is approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective, with a focus on the pension provision that exists in the space between the two worlds of private and state retirement systems. This intermediate sphere is rarely addressed by the wider literature dealing with retirement provision, either from an economic or a social policy perspective. For this volume – which is well-written and easily accessible to the non-expert – the Editors have brought together scholars from far around the globe, all distinguished experts in the field, and each with an impressive record of academic experience that is highly relevant to the aims of the book. A particular theme discussed throughout the volume is the role of non-market/ non-state actors and agencies in the organisation and administration of pensions, which is an important issue both empirically and theoretically. A central premise of the book is that once we consider this role we begin to understand that the private organisation of retirement provision (with ‘‘private’’ meaning that pension saving is devolved to non-statutory agencies running funded plans) does not necessarily result in the problematic outcomes that are commonly associated with free unregulated markets.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128063020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-03-16DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.655980
S. Borzutzky
This article takes issue with the increasingly influential argument that the privatisation of pensions can be made to serve the public interest, defined in terms of collectivist values. Focusing on Chile, it shows how privatisation has been informed by the anti-collectivist values of neoliberal political economy. Compared with the previous publicly administered retirement system, Chile's distinctive combination of defined contribution individual accounts, and a means-tested retirement income safety-net, has generated a range of sub-optimal outcomes. The salience of path-dependency means that subsequent reforms have, in all essentials, preserved this anti-collectivist approach to retirement income protection.
{"title":"Pension market failure in Chile: foundations, analysis and policy reforms","authors":"S. Borzutzky","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.655980","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.655980","url":null,"abstract":"This article takes issue with the increasingly influential argument that the privatisation of pensions can be made to serve the public interest, defined in terms of collectivist values. Focusing on Chile, it shows how privatisation has been informed by the anti-collectivist values of neoliberal political economy. Compared with the previous publicly administered retirement system, Chile's distinctive combination of defined contribution individual accounts, and a means-tested retirement income safety-net, has generated a range of sub-optimal outcomes. The salience of path-dependency means that subsequent reforms have, in all essentials, preserved this anti-collectivist approach to retirement income protection.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123757665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-03-16DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.655984
L. Leisering
The interpretation of the move towards privatizing social services in European welfare states is controversial: “surrender of public responsibility” or “welfare ends through market means”? This article argues that the “social” import of private pensions cannot be assessed in isolation; rather it depends on the overall institutional arrangement of old-age security in a country. The “social” regulation of private pensions and the coordination of public and private pensions are identified as crucial variables. Empirically, the article shows that in two countries with different welfare state traditions, Germany and the United Kingdom, new policies of private pensions have transformed the set-up of old-age security. The article also highlights the limits to “social” regulation. In concluding, it shows that the findings reflect wider changes in western welfare states, especially the rise of a regulatory state in social welfare.
{"title":"Pension privatization in a welfare state environment: socializing private pensions in Germany and the United Kingdom","authors":"L. Leisering","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.655984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.655984","url":null,"abstract":"The interpretation of the move towards privatizing social services in European welfare states is controversial: “surrender of public responsibility” or “welfare ends through market means”? This article argues that the “social” import of private pensions cannot be assessed in isolation; rather it depends on the overall institutional arrangement of old-age security in a country. The “social” regulation of private pensions and the coordination of public and private pensions are identified as crucial variables. Empirically, the article shows that in two countries with different welfare state traditions, Germany and the United Kingdom, new policies of private pensions have transformed the set-up of old-age security. The article also highlights the limits to “social” regulation. In concluding, it shows that the findings reflect wider changes in western welfare states, especially the rise of a regulatory state in social welfare.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116811194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-03-16DOI: 10.1080/17486831.2012.655983
Mark S. Hyde, A. Barton, Suzanne Farrar, Jonathan D. Moizer
Many Europeans fear proposals to privatise their public pension arrangements. They believe that privatisation is necessarily informed by the classical liberal free market model, which, if imported to Europe, would prove to be incompatible with social cohesion and distributive justice. In endorsing privatisation, this article responds to these fears in two ways. First we examine several of the arguments upon which public pensions are premised, and find that they are flawed. Second, drawing upon our own extensive research, we find that several features of mandated private pensions can be compatible with the requirements of the public interest, defined in terms of collectivist values. Provided that they are appropriately designed and regulated, mandated private pensions are a viable alternative to publicly administered retirement income protection. In view of these arguments, Europeans should not fear all privatisation.
{"title":"Should Europeans fear the privatisation of pensions?","authors":"Mark S. Hyde, A. Barton, Suzanne Farrar, Jonathan D. Moizer","doi":"10.1080/17486831.2012.655983","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17486831.2012.655983","url":null,"abstract":"Many Europeans fear proposals to privatise their public pension arrangements. They believe that privatisation is necessarily informed by the classical liberal free market model, which, if imported to Europe, would prove to be incompatible with social cohesion and distributive justice. In endorsing privatisation, this article responds to these fears in two ways. First we examine several of the arguments upon which public pensions are premised, and find that they are flawed. Second, drawing upon our own extensive research, we find that several features of mandated private pensions can be compatible with the requirements of the public interest, defined in terms of collectivist values. Provided that they are appropriately designed and regulated, mandated private pensions are a viable alternative to publicly administered retirement income protection. In view of these arguments, Europeans should not fear all privatisation.","PeriodicalId":270572,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Social Welfare","volume":"55 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126038836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}