In the paper we examine the childbearing trends in Iceland during 1982-2013 by analyzing theprogression to parities one, two and three, as well as changes in the birth spacing patterns over theperiod. Emphasis are placed on the years after the turn of the century. In the first decade of the 21stcentury two potentially influential events took place in Iceland in relation to subsequent fertilityoutcomes; a reform was made to the parental leave scheme between 2001 and 2003 and a deepeconomic crisis came ashore in late 2008. Special attention is given to the trends following thesetwo critical junctures. As well as looking at the parity progressions over time we also investigate theevidence of sex preferences for children among Icelandic parents. In three of the other four Nordiccountries a preference for daughters has been found. As Iceland shares the same egalitarianemphasis within a universal welfare regime it is interesting to investigate if the same applies toIceland. Individual longitudinal register data are used in the calculations; the dataset consists of thetotal female population born in Iceland between 1941 and 1997. The data are of high quality and arestored and processed at Statistics Iceland. The findings are presented in the form of relative risksand are derived from piecewise constant exponential models. In terms of findings, the first birthtrends are characterized by postponement of motherhood at the younger ages and trends ofrecuperation at the older ages. The second and third birth rates indicate that the reform in theparental leave had positive influence on continued childbearing but the elevation in the rates mayalso be associated with the upswing in the business cycle at the same time. The second and thirdbirth rates did not fall at the onset of the economic crisis but three years into the recession. Finally,estimations indicate that Icelandic parents have a preference for having daughters.

Enacted as part of the 1996 Welfare Reform bill, the faith-based initiative was intended to ensure that small religious groups were not discriminated against in the awarding of government funding. While there has been a great deal of attention paid to changes at the federal level, little attention has been paid to how and why states are implementing the faith-based initiative. Currently, states are not required to implement any part of the initiative, other than guaranteeing that faith-based organizations (FBOs) will not be discriminated against in funding decisions. Nevertheless, states have been acting on the initiative in a variety of ways in the hope of increasing the number of faith-based organizations performing social services.Although religious groups have been receiving government funds to provide social services for much of American history, the faith-based initiative represents a new effort from both state and federal governments to encourage even greater participation. To understand the state-level faith-based implementation I focus on two research questions: Why are states creating faith-based policies and practices? What are these new policies and practices? Data collected from multiple sources reveal three key aspects of faith-based policy implementation: appointment of state actors known as Faith-Based Liaisons (FBLs), legislation, and presentation of state Faith-Based Policy conferences.While supporters argue that the faith-based initiative is about solving problems of poverty and an over-burdened welfare system, I find that these policies and practices do not respond to problems of poverty or welfare, and do not offer the substantial new help to the poor and needy that was promised by supporters. Instead, I find that state faith-based practices are more likely to be implemented in states with a strong evangelical movement presence. My data also shows that these practices are actually a series of symbolic policies that further the goals of the evangelical movement in two ways. First, state faith-based policies and practices enable the evangelical movement's greater goal of chipping away at church/state separation. Second, because these policies and practices reframe and reshape the church/state relationship in ways that appeal to deeply held ideological views by many in the United States, they have the potential to create new political allies for the evangelical movement.

This paper critically discusses the Basic Income Grant debate in South Africa. It briefly looks at the theoretical framework on poverty as a background. Then it goes on to three major theories that help build a coherent argument. Although it acknowledges the limitations of the Expanded Public Works Programme, nevertheless it uses it as one of the reasons for substantiating the perspective which articulates that Basic Income Grant is not an appropriate social welfare policy framework for a developing country like South Africa. The rationale is that social grants cannot be used as the sole tool for alleviating poverty especially because of the chronic nature of unemployment (which is understood in this paper as causing high rate of poverty). The assumption is that promotion of a universal grant would endorse dependency from the social grant recipients. It argues that the structural nature of unemployment is what has to be dealt with but not exactly through provision of Basic Income Grant but by getting people to work, giving them jobs so they can earn a living and live an independent and decent life. One of the few recommendations brought up (taken from Bhorat. 2002) is the expansion of the State Old Age Pension instead of starting a totally new scheme of the social grant. State Old Age Pension would almost have the same effect in poverty as the proposed Basic income grant. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal (in conjunction with Albert-Ludwigs-Universität), 2005.

Santraukoje pateikiama darbo tema bei pagrindinės, darbe vartojamos sąvokos. Aprašyta, ką autorius nagrinėja darbe, kokių tarnybų pareigūnų socialines garantijas lygina, kokių nuostatų laikomasi rašant darbą. Pateikiama socialinių garantijų esmė bei jų taikymo problemos ir pasekmės. Socialinės garantijos bendrąja prasmė – tai priemonių sistema, kuri padeda piliečiams užtikrinti jų teises ir laisves. Subjektų įvairovė leidžia nagrinėti socialines garantijas įvairias aspektais. Darbe nagrinėjamos bei lyginamos muitinės ir krašto apsaugos sistemos pareigūnams teikiamų socialinių garantijų ryšys ir teisinė bazė. Nagrinėjama socialinių garantijų įtaka pareigūnų asmeniniam gyvenimui bei gerovei. Darbe laikomasi nuostatos, kad muitinės pareigūnų socialinių garantijų teisinė bazė nėra tinkamai reglamentuota ir pritaikyta prie besikeičiančių valstybės ekonomikos rodiklių. Dėl to sumažėjo muitinės pareigūnų tarnybos Lietuvos muitinėje motyvacija. Išnagrinėtų teisinių bazių bei atlikto sociologinio tyrimo (skirto muitinės bei krašto apsaugos sistemos pareigūnų požiūriui į socialinių garantijų taikymą) pagrindu, daroma išvada, kad muitinės pareigūnams suteikiamos nepakankamos socialinės garantijos. / The thesis and the main definitions are laid in the summary. It is described, what questions the author researches in the thesis, what kinds of the social guarantees of the service officers are compared, what the author’s attitude is. The purport of the social guarantees, their problems and the result of their practice are laid. The general purport of the social guarantees – it is the system of means that helps citizens to vouchsafe their rights and liberty. Variety of the individuals allows researching the social guarantees in different dimensions. In the thesis the types and the juristic base of the social guarantees of the customs and military officers are compared. The influence of the social guarantees upon officers’ private life and welfare is also researched. It is observed that the social guarantees and their juristic base of customs service officers are not properly regulated and adjusted to the country volatile economic index. Therefore, the motivation of the customs service officers has fallen down. Under the basement of the researched juristic bases and accomplished sociological analysis (which was to research and to get to know the opinion of customs service and military officers about applied social guarantees), the conclusion is that provided social guarantees of customs service officers are imperfect.

Lietuvos valdančiųjų partijų socialinė politika yra įtakingų Lietuvos politinės sistemos jėjų bandymai įgyvendinti savas socialinės politikos sampratas, kurias apsprendžia partijų ideologinė skirtis. Socialinė politika yra valstybės pastangos užtikrinti žmonėms lygias galimybes ir pagrindines žmogaus teises. Socialinė politika visada orientuota į labiausiai socialiai pažeidžiamus visuomenės sluoksnius. Globalizacija išplečia minimus sluoksnius, tokiu būdu suteikdama socialiniam darbui vis didesnės reikšmės ir didindama socialinių darbuotojų atsakomybę. Tačiau socialinės politikos ryšys su socialiniu darbu nenagrinėjamas, o socialinio darbuotojo vaidmuo socialinės politikos konstravime apribojamas bendromis pilietinėmis teisėmis. Socialinio darbo tyrėjai neanalizuoja socialinių darbuotojų tarpusavio sąveikos aspektų, politikos analitikai mažai dėmesio skiria praktikams – politikos įgyvendintojams, o patys socialiniai darbuotojai dėl praktinio darbo sunkumų ir laiko stokos nemato galimybės bendrauti ir dalytis sukaupta patirtimi, ieškoti galimybės veikti socialinėje politikoje ne pasyviai, tik ją įgyvendinant, bet ir aktyviai, prisidedant prie socialinės politikos konstravimo. Lietuvoje socialiniai darbuotojai yra neorganizuoti, jie neturi jokios prieigos prie visuomenės informavimo priemonių, todėl jų nuomone ir patirtimi socialinės politikos konstravime politinės partijos neturi galimybės pasinaudoti. Šio darbo tikslas yra atskleisti Lietuvos valdančiųjų politinių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The social policy of Lithuanian ruling batches is making assays to implement political conceptions of important Lithuanian political system’s forces, which are affected by ideological difference of batches. The social policy is national assays to ensure the equal possibilities for people and their basic rights. All the time the social policy is oriented to the most assailable layer of society. The globalization broadens these layers, thus social work becomes more significant and the responsibility of social workers is increasing. However the relation of the social policy and social work is not analyzed and the role of social worker in the social policy’s construction is restricted by the common civil rights. The researchers of the social work are not analyzing the aspects of workers; interaction, policy analysts too less attention pays on practical workers who implements policy, while the social workers don’t have possibilities to communicate and share collected experience, to look for possibilities of acting in the social policy not only in passive way, just implementing it, but in active way as well joining the construction of the social policy. The social workers in Lithuania are not organized, they don’t have any approaches to the instruments of public information, and thus political batches don’t have possibilities to take into account their opinion and experience constructing policy. The aim of this work is to discover the relation of Lithuanian ruling batches’ program... [to full text]

Viešojo sektoriaus ekonomikos magistro baigiamojo darbo tema aktuali tuo, jog Lietuvos visuomenė senėja, išlieka dideli emigracijos mastai, o gimstamumo lygis žemas. Todėl valstybei vis sunkiau spręsti pagyvenusių žmonių gerovės klausimą. Be to, cikliniai ekonomikos svyravaimai sukelia nedarbo lygio ir valstybės skolos augimą bei darbo užmokesčio mažėjimą. Nestabilios tampa ir finansų rinkos, todėl pablogėjusi fiskalinė padėtis, savaime suprantama, trikdo pensijų sistemos finansavimą, o investicijų grąžos ir turto vertės sumažėjimas trumpuoju laikotarpiu veikia (has implication – impact) pensijų kaupimo sistemų finansinę grąžą bei mokumą. Iki šiol nei vienai šaliai nepavyko sukurti pensijų sistemos, kuri neturėtų rimtų trūkumų, todėl tęsti studijas ir ieškoti geriausių sprendimų reformuojant pensijų sistemas yra prasminga. Šio darbo tikslas buvo įvertinti Lietuvos pensijų sistemos rezultatyvumą ir jos tvarumą ilgalaikėje perspektyvoje bei nustatyti sistemos tobulinimo kryptis. Siekiant įgyvendinti tikslą buvo identifikuotos esminės socialinės politikos modelių charakteristikos ir jų pritaikymas Lietuvai, aplinkos veiksniai, keliantys pensijų sistemos reformų poreikį,esamos pensijų sistemos spragos ir problemų sprendimo variantai. Išanalizavus problemą teoriniu lygmeniu, analitinėje dalyje empiriškai buvo patikrintos teorinės prielaidų teisingumas bei pateikdos rekomendacijos Lietuvos pensijų sistemai tobulinti. Išanalizavus teorinius pensijų sistemos rezultatyvumo aspektus... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The theme of Master‘s Work in Public Sector Economics deals with topical issues concerning ageing, emigration, low birthrate problems in Lithuania. Because of these factors the assurance of citizens social welfare is a complicating task for a State. Moreover, cyclical economics fluctuations cause the rise in public debt and unemployment level, also the fall in wages. Consequently financial markets become unstable and the worsen fiscal situation disturbs the sponsorship of pensions system. Moreover, the fall in investments change and value of assets in short run has impact on financial change of pensions funds and its paying capacity. Until now all of the states failed to create pensions system without serious drawbacks, so the extension of studies in search of best solutions for pensions system is still meaningful and even essential. The goal of this paper work was to evaluate the effectiveness of Lithuania‘s pensions system, its stability in the long run, and to sattle the improvement directions. In order to implement the goal the main characteristics of social policy models and its adaptability to Lithuania‘s pension system have been identified, the external factors causing the need of pensions systems reforms have been characterized, the drawbacks of present pensions system have been pionted out and the recommendations to eliminate it have been proposed. After making analysis of theoretical aspects of pensions systems effectiveness and later testing it empirically, the... [to full text]

Disertaciniame darbe analizuojamas socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimas, remiantis veikėjo ir neo-institucionalizmo teorijomis bei jų sanglauda. Disertaciniame darbe siekiama atskleisti socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimo ištakas ir sampratą, veiksnius ir pasekmes bei socialinio darbo paslaugų plėtros perspektyvas privatizavimo kontekste Lietuvoje. Lietuvoje socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimas nėra pakankamai ištyrinėtas, kadangi socialinio darbo paslaugų sistema Lietuvoje buvo pradėta kurti tik nuo 1990 m. Tačiau atskiruose tyrimuose analizuojami klausimai, susiję su socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimu. Dėl vykstančių pokyčių socialinio darbo paslaugų srityje, finansavimo ir teikimo sistemų pertvarkymo, stinga informacijos apie besikeičiančias socialinio darbo paslaugas. Manoma, svarbu yra ištirti, kaip tai atsiliepia socialinio darbo klientui. Disertacijos tikslas – atskleisti socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimo raišką Lietuvos socialinio darbo paslaugų praktikoje. Siekiant darbo tikslo, aptariami ir analizuojami socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimo ištakos ir samprata, veiksniai ir pasekmės, socialinio darbo paslaugų plėtros perspektyvos Lietuvoje. / In the dissertation the privatization of social work services was analysed using actor and new-institutionalism theories. The purpose of the dissertation is to detect the origins and conception, factors and results, as well as development of the social work services in the context of privatization in Lithuania. There is still a study gap of the privatization of social work services in Lithuania, as the development of the system of social work services in Lithuania has been started only since 1990. Though there are some researches which analyse some aspects of the privatization of social work services in Lithuania. The significance and purpose of the dissertation is to fill this lack and to analyse systemically the privatization of social work services as well as its’ factors in Lithuania. Dissertation objective is to analyse the privatization of social work services in social work services practise in Lithuania: to detect the origins and conception, the factors, the results and the development perspectives of the privatization of social work services in Lithuania.

Disertaciniame darbe analizuojamas socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimas, remiantis veikėjo ir neo-institucionalizmo teorijomis bei jų sanglauda. Disertaciniame darbe siekiama atskleisti socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimo ištakas ir sampratą, veiksnius ir pasekmes bei socialinio darbo paslaugų plėtros perspektyvas privatizavimo kontekste Lietuvoje. Lietuvoje socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimas nėra pakankamai ištyrinėtas, kadangi socialinio darbo paslaugų sistema Lietuvoje buvo pradėta kurti tik nuo 1990 m. Tačiau atskiruose tyrimuose analizuojami klausimai, susiję su socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimu. Dėl vykstančių pokyčių socialinio darbo paslaugų srityje, finansavimo ir teikimo sistemų pertvarkymo, stinga informacijos apie besikeičiančias socialinio darbo paslaugas. Manoma, svarbu yra ištirti, kaip tai atsiliepia socialinio darbo klientui. Disertacijos tikslas – atskleisti socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimo raišką Lietuvos socialinio darbo paslaugų praktikoje. Siekiant darbo tikslo, aptariami ir analizuojami socialinio darbo paslaugų privatizavimo ištakos ir samprata, veiksniai ir pasekmės, socialinio darbo paslaugų plėtros perspektyvos Lietuvoje. / Liubov Kotova THE PRIVATIZATION OF SOCIAL WORK SERVICES Annotation of Doctoral Dissertation In the dissertation the privatization of social work services was analysed using actor and new-institutionalism theories. The purpose of the dissertation is to detect the origins and conception, factors and results, as well as development of the social work services in the context of privatization in Lithuania. There is still a study gap of the privatization of social work services in Lithuania, as the development of the system of social work services in Lithuania has been started only since 1990. Though there are some researches which analyse some aspects of the privatization of social work services in Lithuania. The significance and purpose of the dissertation is to fill this lack and to analyse systemically the privatization of social work services as well as its’ factors in Lithuania. Dissertation objective is to analyse the privatization of social work services in social work services practise in Lithuania: to detect the origins and conception, the factors, the results and the development perspectives of the privatization of social work services in Lithuania.

This research study seeks to explore perceptions of family planning clients towards the female condom, as well as examine factors that facilitate or inhibit the use of the device by women of different age groups. The study targets women aged 18-35 who attend the Commercial City Clinic located in Durban, South Africa. This study targets this group since they fall in the category of those most besieged by HIV, hence the need for protection against infection. While most research on condom use has focused the technicalities of barriers prevention methods, relatively less is known about attitudes, motivation and strategies employed by users or would-be users. Although Femidom has been widely accepted as an effective method in STI and pregnancy prevention, nevertheless its usefulness is hampered by a number of factors. Factors range from partner’s objection; men’s negative attitude to use of the device; refusal to use any condom during sex; distrust of the method by male partner; Femidom insertion difficulties in women; reduced sexual sensation for some women when the device is in use; and preference of a discreet method by women not requiring permission by the male sexual counterpart to use the female condom While this study acknowledges that the female condom is an imperfect technology, nevertheless, ways need to be found on how to raise its acceptability. Such a measure is necessary since the female-controlled HIV prevention device has great potential if better marketed and distributed. However, that potential can only be realized if women’s vulnerabilities in the biological, cultural, economic and social domains are addressed. In so doing, this would enable women to gain greater control over their sexual health and also empower them in sexual relationships, thus bettering their lot than is the case at present. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.A.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.