In this dissertation I examine how the family, market and state affect poverty outcomes among mothers and single mothers. In so doing, I enrich the gender and state literature with methodological approaches from the international literature on poverty. I examine the extent to which predictions from these theories are supported by evidence of mothers' and single mothers' poverty and labor market outcomes across nine Western nations. In a more applied vein, many of my questions concern how the U.S. could ameliorate its high poverty rates among mothers and single mothers. My findings challenge several of the gender and the state theories and suggest that more complex questions could lead to better measures of mothers' economic outcomes. I conclude by discussing what kinds of social policies could improve mothers' economic well-being, in the U.S. and across other Western nations.

A descriptive design was used to study the subjective sleep characteristics of permanent night shift workers, examine the validity and reliability of the Visual Analog Sleep (VAS) Scales, and to compare the scores to a previously tested non night shift working sample. The VAS Scales, which employ a visual analog format to measure subjective perceptions of sleeps were reworded slightly to apply to this population, giving rise to the VAS/NS (Night Shift) Scales. A sample of 40 night shift workers completed the VAS/NS Scales on two separate days. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to evaluate this data. The VAS/NS Scales evidence good internal reliability. The factors remained essentially the same with some changes for this sample. The subjective experience of sleep was significantly different from the non night shift working sample for five of the 13 characteristics tested.

The purpose of this study was to identify reporting of child sexual abuse among professionals. Forty out of one hundred questionnaires were completed and returned. The population for this study consisted of men and women in the following professions: Pediatricians, nurses, preschool workers, teachers, religious workers, and counselors in a southwestern community. A questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data and general information. Included in the questionnaire were eight hypothetical case vignettes of child sexual abuse. The professionals were asked to answer ten questions pertaining to the cases. Results showed that although professionals are aware of reporting laws, they still are not reporting all the cases of child sexual abuse when they suspect abuse. In certain cases, professionals are reluctant to report following a retraction by the child, or when the parents deny the allegation. Religious workers have the least knowledge of reporting laws of the professionals sampled. Overall, pediatricians report more often when they suspect child sexual abuse than the other professionals in the sample.

<p> This policy analysis examined the purpose, goals, implementation, and impacts of mandatory minimum sentences as outlined in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. After reviewing government documents and scholarly literature that address the policy, a modified version of David Gil's 1992 framework was used to conduct the analysis. </p><p> Significant findings include the misalignment between the policy's objectives and the factual American condition regarding drugs and drug-related crime. Since implementation, people and communities of color have been disproportionately disadvantaged by this policy. New social problems, such as prison overcrowding, have resulted from lengthy prison sentences. </p><p> From this analysis, social workers can learn the importance of educating the public about drug use and related systemic issues. Social workers can use this information to advocate for relevant and effective policies to respond to problematic drug use in America from a public health, rather than criminal justice, perspective.</p>

<p> The purpose of this grant proposal was to develop and seek funding for implementation of an art therapy program for adults with developmental disabilities in Orange County, California. The clients of Westview Services' adult day programs located in Orange County will have an opportunity to participate in the proposed art therapy program.</p><p> Through a review of the literature on the needs and challenges as well as current services and interventions in place for individuals with developmental disabilities, the grant writer proposed and designed an art therapy program. This grant writer explored potential public and private funding sources, which yielded the Field Initiated Projects through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as the funding source with the most potential fitting the goals and objectives of this project.</p><p> The actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not required for the successful completion of this academic project.</p>

<p> The amending of the Volstead Act and repeal of national prohibition did not answer the "liquor question" but passed the issue to the states. This thesis examines New York's reaction to the change in national alcohol policy and the states decision to legalize and regulate the beverage with the establishment of the New York State Liquor Authority. It traces the activities of Jean Sheppard who led the state division of the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR) and became one of the key architects of New York's modern alcohol control system. As an expert in alcohol control policies Sheppard developed a plan she believed would be respected by the public while also mitigating the problems associated with alcohol. Sheppard proposed an elaborate system of control which made temperance the objective. Through her position as Chairman of the New York State WONPR Sheppard gained the attention of Governor Herbert H. Lehman who nominated her to the New York State (Conway) Commission on Alcoholic Beverage Control Legislation. As a member of the Commission and then the New York State Alcohol Beverage Control Board, Sheppard was given the opportunity to propose her theories on control. The final legislation creating the New York State Liquor Authority embodied Sheppard's plan in regards to administrative structure but fell well short of her dream of a system that used the full power of the state to put temperance ahead of revenue.</p>

Since its founding in London in 1844 and its arrival in Houston in 1886, the Young Men's Christian Association has always been a social service agency, attending to the needs of its clientele. Though the types of services the YMCA has offered have changed over time, its commitment to social service has not. In the first one hundred years in Houston, the association's emphasis on the spiritual, physical, mental, and social aspects of life has remained steadfast. This study will attempt to demonstrate that while applications of the aims have changed, the basic goal has not.

The first part of the thesis evaluates policy change effected toward the Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) program and the Food Stamp program in the United States during the Reagan years; and the Retirement Pensions program and Social Assistance in the United Kingdom during the Thatcher years (1979-1988). The Reagan administration was largely unsuccessful in attaining its major goals toward reforming OASI. Greater success was forthcoming in its efforts to effect policy change toward the Food Stamp program. Reagan, failed, however, to transfer authority for the welfare function over to the states. Non-incremental policy change was effected toward the Retirement Pensions program during the Thatcher years. A radical redirection in social policy toward the unemployed was also forthcoming. The argument is advanced that the social policies of the two administrations were guided by a determination to reinforce the historical distinction between the deserving and undeserving poor. The second part of the thesis assesses how the attempts of the two administrations to reform the welfare state were constrained by public opinion and the legislative branch of government. The public popularity of OASI severely constricted the reform options available to the Reagan administration. A broad relationship existed between public opinion on nutritional issues and policy output with relationship to the Food Stamp program. The administration's attempts to reform the welfare state were constrained by the complex legislative structure of U.S. government, and by divided partisan control of Congress. Strong British public support for the welfare of the elderly inhibited the government from attempting to cut basic retirement pension benefits. Public opinion exerted a minimal degree of influence on the direction of Social Assistance reform. Thatcher's success in effecting non-incremental reform was facilitated by the structural design of Parliament. Her position was fortified by large cohesive Conservative party majorities in the House of Commons. Policy change in Britain during the Thatcher years is interpreted on a theoretical level through an adversarial model of the policy making process. A consensus model is utilized to facilitate understanding of Reagan's experiences in office.

In this dissertation, I reconceptualize the concept of violence to consider its physical, sexual, psychological and economic dimension. I attempt to add to existing meanings of "violence" to include not only forms of abuse on the individual and group level but also abuse practiced by legal, political, ideological and economic institutions in a collective and systemic manner. Due to the significance of child maltreatment around the globe, I focus on the impact of law on this problem specifically through a study of domestic and international use of the best interests' doctrine; evidentiary issues relating to children; child abuse reporting mechanisms and protection schemes in Canada and elsewhere; and the international protection of children's rights. Lastly, I analyze the benefits of a reoriented rights-based approach to empower children within and without the legal arena.

<p> Land use regulations affect housing prices, with more restrictive regulatory environments associated with higher prices. Yet, regulations are only a part of the regulatory regime in which land use decisions are made, leading to the question: how do land use regulatory regimes affect housing prices? This study examines and compares the land use regulatory regimes of four counties, Frederick, MD, Montgomery, MD, Fairfax, VA, and Loudoun, VA through interviews, project files, and regulatory review to learn how the combination of structures, rules, norms, principles, and expectations, relate to housing prices. State differences in the tools available lead to Virginia counties having a more predictable, but not faster, subdivision review process than Maryland counties. More importantly, local differences in developer contributions for mitigating the impact of development, community involvement, and perspectives on development affect the cost and predictability of the residential development review process. These jurisdictional differences support the need to focus research on regulatory regimes rather than simply regulations to identify changes to reduce unnecessary costs that increase house prices.</p>