International Journal of Social Welfare最新文献

This paper examines the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul as a pivotal test of Brazil's social protection system, revealing both notable advancements and critical challenges. The system demonstrated its capacity to scale programs rapidly, mobilize resources efficiently, and implement adaptive measures, reflecting significant progress toward a more resilient and inclusive framework. However, persistent gaps in disaster risk data integration, database interoperability, and institutional coordination reveal areas requiring urgent improvement to strengthen the system's responsiveness and equity in future crises. This study assesses how innovations such as program expansions, adaptive targeting, and the strategic use of integrated data systems have advanced the convergence between Brazil's social protection system and disaster risk management. The findings highlight the importance of reinforcing intersectoral collaboration, investing in disaster-sensitive information systems, and fostering community-based resilience to meet the rising challenges of climate-related events. Offering lessons for Brazil and the broader Latin American region, the paper advocates for integrated, adaptive, and inclusive social protection systems as a foundation for reducing vulnerabilities and promoting sustainable development in an era of escalating risks.

This study investigates multiple welfare programme participation patterns in Taiwan. Taiwan is a productivist welfare society with a social safety net system that is generous in design and has a package of fertility-boosting assistance programmes to address low birth rates. The present study examines panel data using longitudinal latent class analysis (LLCA) and multinomial logistic regression to capture and depict participation patterns across a range of social programmes among households with children under 18 from 2016 to 2022. Our findings underscore the importance of nuanced, dynamic policy approaches to address Taiwan's distinct demographic groups' varying needs. For instance, being younger and educational attainment were negatively correlated with multiple welfare assistance programmes, but positively correlated with children's assistance programmes. Our findings suggest the need for continuous needs assessments to respond to vulnerable families' evolving economic needs. While welfare studies in East Asia seldom take into account the joint participation in welfare programmes, our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of social welfare participation patterns in Taiwan and underscore the critical role of welfare programmes in supporting households with children, offering valuable insights into the potential for a more comprehensive and accessible social security system in Taiwan and elsewhere.

Welfare systems in which access to social benefits is mediated by formal employment and income level face renewed tensions in the context of increasing labor market heterogeneity and widening income inequality. These pressures give rise to multiple forms of segmentation, which challenge the traditional dualization hypothesis often used to characterize the evolution of welfare architectures in Latin America. In this context, the health care systems of South American countries provide a valuable lens through which to observe these dynamics. This article is guided by the central question: How are the health systems of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay responding to growing pressures for segmentation? We argue that these systems adopt two main strategies in response to user demands: while some countries have opted to increase competition among providers, others have tended to reinforce pre-existing patterns of dualization. Based on this analysis, we identify four distinct institutional responses to segmentation in health care: (1) Market-led dualism, (2) State-led dualism, (3) Frozen corporatism, and (4) Segmented corporatism.

Early marriage, also known as child marriage, remains a significant issue in developing countries, including Vietnam. In 2014, the Vietnamese National Assembly revised the Law on Marriage and Family, including a provision to increase the minimum age of marriage for both genders to reduce this practice. This study presents the first evidence of the impact of this legal reform on the prevalence of early marriage and employment in Vietnam. A fuzzy regression discontinuity design method is used to assess the impact. Analyzing data from the 2019 Population and Housing Census reveals that raising the minimum age for marriage positively affects the age at which women first marry and reduces the prevalence of early marriages among women. Additionally, delaying marriage can also impact certain types of women's employment. This study contributes to the international literature on the effects of legal bans on early marriage, specifically regarding labor market outcomes.

This article is based on a study of individuals who are not receiving the public aid and benefits that they are entitled to, and in need of, what is known as ‘non-take-up’ (NTU). The aim of the study is to explore the various causes of NTU in the public welfare system in Sweden, and the main research question is why individuals that are eligible for public benefits do not receive them. This question is approached from a bottom-up perspective, by interviewing 33 individuals in a NTU situation about their stories of interaction with public welfare institutions. The individuals were selected in collaboration with a charitable non-profit organisation that receives people in need who are not receiving any other public support, or all the support they are entitled to. Through the use of content analysis, the interviews identify several causes of NTU. These include poor information and means of communication with welfare institutions, technocratic rules, unfriendly treatment and unprofessional behaviour among social workers, and interagency mismanagement of individual cases. The conclusions suggest that NTU is a serious problem in the Swedish welfare system that causes both unnecessary suffering and added costs to society.

In a world experiencing profound environmental, technological, and demographic shifts, welfare systems are being fundamentally reshaped, highlighting social innovation (SI) as crucial for addressing emerging societal challenges. This research examines the distinctive Latin American approach to SI, exploring its role in transforming regional welfare states whilst bridging the gap between Latin American and European perspectives. The theoretical framework combines SI theory with the quintuple helix model, emphasizing interactions among public bodies, businesses, academia, civil society, and citizens in fostering local innovation. Through comparative analysis of Argentinian and Brazilian cases, contrasted with Italian and British examples, this study employs ethnographic methods, questionnaires, and interviews. The findings reveal a uniquely Latin American SI approach, characterized by robust community engagement and university partnerships, diverging from market-driven European models. The research advances the global SI discourse by highlighting the significance of grassroots, collaborative initiatives, particularly within contexts of institutional and welfare system fragility.

The Government of Bangladesh has digitised social safety net programmes to improve enrollment and allowance disbursement, yet the impact on rural beneficiaries remains unclear. This article examines the experiences of older adults and widows in Kurigram based on 68 semi-structured interviews. At the administrative level, beneficiaries reported positive aspects such as support for enrollment and disbursement. However, challenges included delays due to unofficial payment demands, slow disbursement, and difficulties accessing mobile financial service (MFS) accounts. At the individual level, many lacked the knowledge to use their MFS accounts, often needing to share PINs for assistance, and relied on family or community support to receive their allowances. The findings suggest that enhancing local government capabilities may help combat corruption and improve communication. Educational initiatives and community support may boost digital literacy and address gender disparities. Collaboration between the government and MFS providers is essential for timely payments and effective support for beneficiaries.

The Covid-19 pandemic presented an unusually complex challenge, particularly in the areas of social and health policy. A comparative analysis of policymaking during this emergency situation can help us better understand the factors influencing social policy development. Czechia and Slovakia make for a good comparison in determining what factors influenced social policy and health policy during the COVID pandemic. Since they previously formed the same country, they have many things in common, thus making for a classic “most similar case” design. Yet, the two countries have some interesting differences. In their healthcare policies, Slovakia was generally stricter than Czechia, and imposed harsher rules. However, when it comes to social benefits, Czechia was generally more generous than Slovakia. How can we explain these differences? We will base our argument on expert interviews with policymakers, as well as an analysis of the political discourse and the party-electoral dynamics. We argue that the interaction of the following factors was important: policy legacies, electoral cycles and the political constellations of each country. After discussing our theory and methodology, we review the actual policies and results; then we analyse the reasons for the differences between the countries.

This study examines the multidimensionality of attitudes toward the causes of poverty in Korean society, moving beyond single-dimensional perspectives. Using latent class analysis, nine distinct perception types were identified, with 44% of respondents recognizing individual, structural, and fatalistic factors simultaneously. Demographic factors such as age, labor market status, and political ideology were more strongly associated with perception types than individual economic circumstances. Younger individuals favored multidimensional perspectives, while older generations emphasized individual responsibility. Political conservatism was linked to individualistic attributions, whereas progressivism aligned with structural-fatalistic views. Perception types were systematically related to welfare policy preferences: groups emphasizing individual responsibility supported reductions in public spending, while structurally oriented groups opposed such cuts. The largest latent class (“Comprehensive Causal Maximalist”) exhibited the strongest support for income redistribution policies. These findings underscore the need for integrated poverty policies and tailored communication strategies that address the diverse perceptions shaping policy acceptance and effectiveness.

This paper examines whether a Job Guarantee (JG) programme can adequately address the issue of work precarisation. A JG, in its canonical form, offers employment to anyone willing and able to work. Despite renewed academic interest, the normative foundations and economic viability of this policy remain underdeveloped. This paper contributes to addressing these gaps in two ways. First, by defining the type of job a JG must provide, it reconstructs the ethical dimension of dignified work by identifying the criteria that distinguish it from precarious employment. We argue for a moralised minimal threshold: at a minimum, a dignified job must secure freedom from domination through a guaranteed wage and stable employment, and ideally foster reciprocity and self-realisation. Second, the paper evaluates the feasibility and potential impact of implementing a JG in Uruguay—a country with a relatively robust social security system compared to other Latin American nations, yet where 25% of the working population do not contribute to social security. Using microsimulations, we show that a well-designed JG could increase formal employment, reduce poverty, and improve income distribution. These findings support the case for a specific version of the JG as a normatively grounded and economically viable solution to work precarisation in segmented labour markets.