The watershed in this century's politics of welfare is the transformation in income security away from charitable towards governmental support. But in the Canadian case its origins still remain obscure. Although the shift is often pinpointed as occurring during and after World War II, the decisive battles over the propriety of a more active state role were fought between 1914 and 1939. The aims of this study are to demonstrate their significance in pioneering acceptance of the principle of social collectivism, and to shed light on the range of forces shaping the complex process of social policymaking. The case-study method is used to investigate the legacy of interwar welfare politics, viz., the development of emergency and statutory aid for select groups among the very poor. This technique has the advantage of capturing the historical dimension of the policymaking process, and filling the much-needed gaps in Canadian welfare research. Moreover, it provides an opportunity to test propositions concerning social policy innovations and developments. The existing literature identifies several factors as important: the nature of the economy, the cultural context, the structure of political institutions, and four sets of participants - militant workers, interest groups, politicians and bureaucrats. The analysis focuses upon the interaction between these determinants in shaping all the major interwar policy decisions in means-tested income maintenance. The evidence reveals that a myriad of forces shaped the origins of the Canadian welfare state, but their influence varied. Socio-economic change played a mediating role by creating the social problems requiring resolution, and generating the revenues to finance innovations. The general framework of ideas and the institutional structure also exerted a mainly indirect impact, with the former defining the values and the latter guiding the behaviour of the participants. In contrast, all the active political forces played the pivotal role of interpreting the problems and deciding the timing and content of the policy decisions. Interest group power overshadowed working-class militancy as the effective societal spur, with farmers rather than businessmen qualifying as the arch opponents of the collectivist cause. Inside government, elected, not appointed, officials dominated the social policymaking process. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

This study is centered around examining the impact that the recent welfare reform has had on front-line workers in the welfare bureaucracy and the clients of the welfare system. In 1993 the government in British Columbia began implementing sweeping policy and procedural changes that altered the way in which welfare services were provided and limited the services available to the poor. The impetus for these changes is situated in the widespread media coverage of welfare fraud and abuse throughout 1993 and 1994. The media, by targeting certain sub-groups of the welfare client population, was able to substantiate their claim that the welfare system was not only being undermined but that it was also operating on the basis of policies that were flawed and therefore easily abused. This study begins with a presentation of the policy and procedural changes that have occurred within the Ministry of Social Services in British Columbia from 1993 to 1996. The second section of this study examines the media's response to the "welfare fraud crisis" and the way in which a moral panic was created around the "problem" of welfare fraud. This analysis draws upon moral panic and social constructionist theory to examine not only the media's presentation of the "crisis" but also the government's response to the public concern that had been generated. The final section of this study presents a discussion of the front-line worker's response to the changes that have taken place within the Ministry of Social Services over the last four years. The analysis is centered around examining how these front-line government workers cope with the restrictive and regulatory policies they are responsible for enforcing. The study concludes with suggestion for further research on this topic. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

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published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Includes summaries of legislation from 1856 to 1949 regarding the blind, deaf and dumb, the mentally deranged, child welfare, the physically ill, and the aged. Also includes histories of schools and institutions established, including Deaf and Blind institute for Colored youths, State Lunatic Asylum, Epileptic Colony, Insane Asylum for Negroes, State Juvenile Training School, The State Orphan's home.

本研究起源於個人曾任社會救助人員工作經驗上的困惑，究竟低收入戶在脫離福利之後能否走出貧窮？臺灣現時關於脫貧及離開者的探索不足。本研究目的在於透過探索低收入戶家庭如何主觀詮釋其貧窮歷程經驗，並從政府社會救助相關人員的視角，來理解他們如何看待貧窮、窮人與社會救助制度，進而分析國家社會救助制度在低收入戶家庭能否脫貧過程中的作用。 / 本研究立基建構主義的研究典範，採取質性研究取向，透過深度訪談法及文獻分析法蒐集資料，並以主題分析法來分析。在分析框架，結合貧窮歷程「進入、持續與脫離」的時間面向，以及「微觀、中觀及宏觀」的層次面向，並以社會排斥理論作為主要對話的理論。 / 研究發現，微觀層次，低收入戶家庭的主觀經驗，脫離救助不等於脫離貧窮，他們貧窮生活經驗的三部曲依次為「不穩定、步入穩定及向上提升或再次不穩定」，經歷福利制度的「排斥、融入及排斥」。中觀層次，社工漸失扶貧角色，工作者認為個案是否值得幫助以及個案的策略，會影響工作處遇及互動經驗，同時兼具融入及排斥角色。宏觀層次，社會救助制度透過親屬責任、工作倫理安排，在進入前產生制度性排斥；持續期間能夠穩定低收入戶的生活，發揮融入作用，但無助積極脫貧；離開後缺乏支持和緩衝，陷入再排斥危機。 / 基於研究發現，研究綜合討論了五個議題。首先，脫離福利不等於走出貧窮，還需經濟、心理自立，才能穩健離開。脫貧四種可能類型為「重返貧窮」、「心有餘力不足」、「有力心不安」以及「穩健離開」。第二，子女助脫貧，前提是能就業、願反饋，否則將反受勞動及福利排斥。第三，宏觀制度安排外，中觀工作者如何執行亦是排斥與否的關鍵。工作者與個案互動的四種類型為「傾力相助，融入」、「無奈讓步，不情願融入」、「順應民意，非意圖融入」以及「斷然拒絶，排斥」。第四，社會救助制度穩定生活有助融入，缺乏脫貧措施，易再造成排斥。第五，國家非蓄意排斥，唯怕崩解、防弊及缺服務，難大破大立；個案關注離開階段，基於權利，自我調整並結合外力，展開反排斥；工作者關注進入階段，立基公平正義，個別裁量及集體倡議展開反排斥。 / 最後，發現國家制度、執行工作者與福利使用者，三者都是有行動力的主體，本身既是融入者，也是排斥者和反排斥者，並非分立，而是交互影響的。因此提出以綜融性觀點來檢視跨層次間的作用，更有助於理解研究議題。未來三個層次要同步改變，才有助低收入戶長遠脫離貧窮。 / The main question of this research came from the researcher’s experience as a social assistance worker: whether the low-income households can get out of poverty after they left the social welfare system? The situation of the welfare leavers is under-researched in Taiwan. Therefore, the purposes of this thesis are, firstly, to explore the subjective interpretation of low-income households on their experience in poverty; secondly, from the perspectives of social assistance workers, to understand how they perceive poverty, the poor people and social assistance institutions; and finally, to analyze the effectiveness of social assistance institutions in helping the poor to get out of poverty. / Based on the stance of constructivism, this research is qualitative-oriented, and the data was collected through in-depth interviews and literature analysis. By adopting thematic analysis, the analytical framework of this research consists of two dimensions: time and levels. The former suggests to the process of poverty: the point of entry, the status of continuum and the point of escaping; and the latter presents the micro, messo and macro levels of analysis. The whole process of analysis and discussions are examined mainly through the lens of social exclusion theory. / The findings of this study can be divided into three levels. At the micro level, although the low-income households have left social assistance, it did not mean that they can get out of poverty. Their living experience of poverty could be seen as a trilogy, demonstrated sequentially as the stages of being unstable, gradually become stable, and situation improved or being unstable again. They experienced of being excluded, integrated and re-excluded from the welfare system in this process. At the messo level, social workers have gradually deviated from the role of helping the poor. Instead, whether the clients are "deserving" or "undeserving" poor in workers’ mind and the strategies their clients decide to adopt for their circumstances, were the main factors which contributed to future treatment and interactions with each other. In this regards, the workers can take up the role of helping the poor to integrate or excluding the poor. At the macro level, the institutional exclusion emerged at the beginning through relative’s responsibility and work ethics requirements when the clients applied the assistance. During the period with assistance, the assistance exerted its integrative impact to stabilize the clients’ living standard; however, it did not offer an effective solution for the clients to escape from their poverty. After the assistance ceased, the clients risked being excluded again due to lack of support or buffer to prevent themselves from the immediate economic pressure. / According to the findings, five issues are discussed in this thesis. First of all, the welfare leavers do not immediately experience the complete escape from poverty. Instead, the economic and mental independence play the key roles. There are four types of patterns in terms of getting away from poverty: ‘leave but fall into poverty again’, ‘with strong will but not capable of leaving poverty’, ‘with capability but without confidence’, and ‘on track to leave without coming back’. Secondly, if the poor expect to get rid of poverty through the strength of their children, it highly depended on the children’s capability of employment and their willingness to support their parents. Otherwise, they might end up being excluded by the labor market and the welfare system. Thirdly, besides the institutional factors at the macro level, how social workers provide services in practice at the messo level is also essential. It is found that there are four types of interactions between workers and the clients: ‘full effort to support and integration ‘retreat unwillingly and unwilling integration’, ‘to follow public opinion and unintend integration’ and ‘refuse boldly and exclusion’. Fourthly, the institution of social assistance is helpful for low-income households to manage their lives and social integration. However, it lacks measures to facilitate the low-income households escape from poverty, and thus easily causes re-exclusion. Finally, it is revealed that the state shows no intention in excluding the disadvantaged households; however, it still cannot transform the system due to the intention in maintaining the family function, in preventing welfare fraud, and in providing support services. Regarding the clients and the social workers, the former were more concerned about the stage when dis-attached from the welfare system, whilst the latter cared about the stage of entry. Based on having sensed their own rights, the clients adjusted themselves with external forces and started to fight for anti-exclusion after being excluded from the welfare system. Similarly, the social workers also value the idea of equality and social justice. However, they achieve this goal by exercising their discretion power when scrutinizing the applications, and moreover, collectively advocating for anti-exclusion of the low-income households. / All in all, the state institution, the social workers involved, and the welfare users are all subjects with their agency. They themselves play multi-roles to integrate, exclude and anti-exclude, and these roles are not isolated but interact with each other. This research, therefore, suggests utilizing generalist perspective to further examine the cross-level effects in order to understand this subject. In long term, the three levels have to be changed simultaneously in order to help the low-income households effectively get out of poverty. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 杜慈容 = Can welfare leavers get out of poverty? : a Study of low-income households in Taipei / Dou Tsz Rung. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 448-481). / Abstracts also in English. / Du Cirong = Can welfare leavers get out of poverty? : a Study of low-income households in Taipei / Dou Tsz Rung.