Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

The right of existence in the Constitution and the living support to request right in Public Assistance Act ensure the right to minimum of subsistence. But the right of existence in the Constitution ensures individual right, Public Assistance Act ensures family. It is specifically feasible to discuss that the living support to request right in Public Assistance Act is enacted to care for the people of low incomes and help them to live on themselves in a moment. This paper studies regulations of Public Assistance primarily. Therefore the research project of this paper includes¡GThe living supports to request right, administrative organ¡¦s organization, the regulations of behavior do conform to legally the administrative requirement. Second, the administrative relief, the judicial relief and Legal Aids Act forming a complete set. Third, by the principle of equity examines regulations of Public Assistance, that whether it is to be suitable ¡§the substantive equality under law¡¨. To be brief, this paper anticipates constructing more rational regulations of poverty.

This thesis focuses on the social determinants of health in Appalachia. Using anthropological ethnographic field methods, this thesis explores the ways in which public assistance programs and exchanges between health care practitioners and clients result in discourses of blame and responsibly. Also included is a discussion of the role that health insurance plays in granting or denying individuals living in poverty the opportunity for treatment and care. The narratives collected for this project then become the bases for a critical examination of the public discourse surrounding health care reform in the United States in 2009 and 2010.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Dodson / Thesis advisor: C. Shawn McGuffey / Non-traditional students are quickly becoming a statistical majority of the undergraduate student population. Furthermore, nearly one-quarter of contemporary undergraduates is a student parent. Emergent imperatives shaped by technological changes in the economy, deindustrialization, credential inflation, the continuing feminization of poverty and the diminished safety net for low-income families have created a mandate for postsecondary education for anyone hoping to move from poverty into the middle-class. Yet, welfare reforms of the past 17 years have de-prioritized, discouraged, and disallowed post-secondary education as a meaningful pathway for low-income parents to achieve economic mobility, even despite a large body of research demonstrating the connections between higher education and: income, occupational prestige, access to employer sponsored benefits, positive intergenerational outcomes, community development, and broader societal gains. While previous research has focused on the impact of welfare reform on access to post-secondary education for participants within the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program, declining overall TANF participation rates indicate that low-income families are largely turning to more diverse strategies to support their families and pursue higher education. Despite both the recent growth of the population of student parents as a significant minority of the undergraduate population, and the rise of governmental initiatives promoting the expansion of post-secondary education and training to traditionally underserved student populations, very little is known about the comprehensive experiences of contemporary low-income mothers as they navigate college while simultaneously working to balance these endeavors with motherhood and family labor, paid employment and public assistance requirements. This dissertation presents the findings of a multi-method institutional ethnographic research process through which the author collected data regarding the experiences of low-income mothers across the country. This process included conducting in-depth interviews with 31 low-income mothers who were currently enrolled in college or who had been enrolled in college within the past year. Additionally, research journals were collected from an additional 20 participants documenting their experiences across an academic term. In total these participants represented 10 states in three regions of the United States: The West Coast, Mid-West, and Northeast. Secondary data were collected through: institutional interviews with student parent program coordinators, collection of primary materials from programs serving student parents throughout the country, and review of primary policy documents regarding higher education and federal and state welfare policies. As a feminist participatory action research project, participatory methods were employed at all stages of the research process and included the use of two interpretive focus groups within campus-based programs serving student parents that both added to the research findings and to the process of analysis and interpretation. The findings of this dissertation begin by painting the picture of the complex lifeworlds of low-income mothers and their simultaneous experience of role strain and material hardship as they work to balance the responsibilities of college enrollment with mothering, work, and the labor involved in researching, applying for and maintaining multiple public assistance benefits. Next, the author argues that conflicts between higher education policies and public assistance policies as experienced by participants shape the strategies through which they attempt to make ends meet and finance their education and ultimately exacerbate their experiences of role strain and material hardship. The author then moves to explore the impact that these policies have on academic outcomes for this sub-set of students. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the broader social context in which this takes place: one in which policies have been structured on meritocracy rather than equal opportunity for higher education. This presents a dual-edge sword scenario however in that the American Dream both drives the motivation of low-income mothers to persevere in college despite tremendous hardship and personal sacrifice, while it also serves to frame the very policies that make their quest for higher education so grueling. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

In the present neoliberal era, low-income Black single mothers receiving public assistance must grapple with heightened state surveillance, the devaluation of their mothering, trying to raise Black children in a racist society, and navigating the neoliberal economic system. This dissertation examines how, in light of all this, such women perceive themselves as mothers and what they identify as the greatest influences on their ability to carry out their mothering activities. It specifically investigates how they perceive their race as influencing their motherhood and how they perceive employment in relation to motherhood. Based on in-depth interviews with 21 low-income single Black mothers in Virginia, findings illustrate that the mothers in this study recognize and resist controlling images of low-income Black single motherhood, such as the "welfare queen" and the "baby mama," and that a key aspect of their mothering activities is socializing their children around race and class. Findings also demonstrate that motherhood is a central identity for the women in this study and that they prioritize their motherhood identities over their work identities. In addition, in a departure from previous research on Black motherhood/mothering, findings show that the women in this study do not mother within dense networks of kin and community support. / Doctor of Philosophy / Low-income Black single mothers receiving public assistance must grapple with heightened state surveillance, the devaluation of their mothering, trying to raise Black children in a racist society, and declining social welfare support. This dissertation examines how, in light of all this, such women perceive themselves as mothers and what they identify as the greatest influences on their ability to carry out their mothering activities. It specifically investigates how they perceive their race as influencing their motherhood and how they perceive employment in relation to motherhood. Based on in depth interviews with 21 low-income Black single mothers in Virginia, findings illustrate that the mothers in this study recognize and resist stereotypes of low-income Black single motherhood, such as the “welfare queen” and the “baby mama,” and that a key aspect of their mothering activities is socializing their children around race and class. Findings also demonstrate that motherhood is a central identity for the women in this study and that they prioritize their motherhood identities over their work identities. In addition, in a departure from previous research on Black motherhood/mothering, findings show that the women in this study do not mother within dense networks of kin and community support.

Attitudes of caseworkers and supervisors in public welfare agencies were studied with regard to the following subjects: (1) the public assistance program in Utah, (2) the welfare recipient, (3) family planning as a means of dealing with poverty, (4) government participation in the public assistance program, (5) methods of rehabilitation, (6) community support of welfare agency, and (7) positive and negative aspects of casework. Data were analyzed statistically with regard to age , education , political preference, and sex. An analysis of variance was made, and the F test applied to determine significance levels . Caseworkers and supervisors responded positively toward the public assistance system in Utah with mean scores high enough to indicate approval though not complete approval of this system. Caseworkers and supervisors expressed a slightly positive attitude toward welfare recipients; they were generally favorable toward family planning as a means of dealing with poverty; and they expressed a positive attitude concerning government participation in the public assistance program. Df the three means of rehabilitation proposed, caseworkers and supervisors unanimously selected the use of individual therapy as their first choice, environmental change and direct financial aid as their second and third choices, respectively, by the majority of respondents . Caseworkers and supervisors felt a need for community support but did not feel they received it. In their opinion the public is poorly informed, has many misconceptions, and is, consequently, negative toward the public assistance system. Male and female caseworkers and supervisors indicated that working with people and helping them with their problems were the most enjoyable aspects of their job; whereas, clerical work and administrative rules and procedures were the least enjoyable aspects. Women liked more aspects of their work than they disliked; whereas, men disliked more aspects than they liked.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influences on the degree of involvement in organizations, agencies, and churches by Latino immigrants in Eastern Tennessee. An interview study was conducted to identify the most/least effective service delivery methods, whether language remains a barrier to obtaining services, and reveal any unmet needs relative to the Latino population. Also, Latino participants provided personal perspectives of the service delivery system. From analysis of the interviews, the following themes emerged: limited access to transportation, fair treatment when seeking assistance, need for bilingual staff available to more effectively determine needs, and Latino reactions to law enforcement and government agencies. With the results of this study, service providers will learn more effective methods of delivering services to the Latino population in Hamblen, Grainger, Jefferson, and Cocke Counties of East Tennessee. Conversely, appropriate and well-delivered services will assist Latino immigrants in achieving a better quality of life.