The great recession is changing the way many people live and the way they perceive their prospects for the near and more distant future. Its longer term consequences will not be known for some time, but something can be learned from the effect on individuals and households who experienced financial hardship. This volume is the first to use innovative survey data on the lives of Europeans to investigate the long term impact of financial hardship on earnings, standards of living, and health. The data provide a detailed account of the key events that have taken place over the course of the recession. It compares the well-being of individuals who were lucky to escape negative shocks to their income or their circumstances to the less fortunate who may have lost their job, faced divorce, or serious illness. The wide array of welfare state and social support provisions across different European countries adds an important policy angle to the analysis: has the welfare state, currently under heavy pressure, been able to provide an adequate safety net in the face of extended periods of financial difficulties, or has the family instead proven the ultimate source of support in difficult times?

This major new book provides an accessible and innovative introduction to general equilibrium analysis and associated welfare economics. In this distinct and refreshing treatment, John Creedy develops a simple two sector model using only diagrams and simple mathematics to ensure that this treatment will be accessible to students.The analysis of exchange and the gains from trade in the context of price taking behaviour are the subject of the first part of the book. Special attention is given to general equilibrium supply and demand curves and, in contrast with partial equilibrium treatments, the possibility of multiple equilibria. Trading at disequilibrium prices, the influence of the numbers of traders and bargaining solutions are then discussed before production is added to the analysis and the two sector model constructed. General Equilibrium and Welfare will be welcomed for its accessible introduction to General Equilibrium analysis and for the strong emphasis it places on exchange, which is closely in line with the work of early neoclassical writers such as Jevons, Walras, Edgeworth and Wicksell.

"Welfare politics" have now been part of American life for four centuries. Beyond a persistent general idea that Americans have a collective obligation to provide for the poorest among us, there has been little common ground on which to forge political and philosophical consensus. Are poor people poor because of their own shortcomings and moral failings, or because of systemic societal and econonomic obstacles? That is, does poverty have individual or structural causes? This book demonstrates why neither of these two polemical stances has been able to prevail permanently over the other and explores the public policy--and real-life--consequences of the stalemate. Author Greg M. Shaw pays special attention to the outcome of the 1996 act that was heralded as "ending welfare as we know it." Historically, people on all sides of the welfare issue have hated welfare--but for different reasons. Like our forebears, we have constantly disagreed about where to strike the balance between meeting the basic needs of the very poor and "creating dependency," or undermining individual initiative. The shift in 1996 from New Deal welfare entitlement to "workfare" mirrored the national mood and ascendant political ideology, as had welfare policy throughout American history. The special contribution of this book is to show how evolving understandings of four key issues--markets, motherhood, race, and federalism--have shaped public perceptions in this contentious debate. A rich historical narrative is here complemented by a sophisticated analytical understanding of the forces at work behind attempts to solve the welfare dilemma. Chapters cover: BLThe Early American Roots of Welfare BLControlling the Poor in19th-Century America BLFrom Mothers' Pensions to a Troubled Aid to Dependent Children Program BLThe Rise and Fall of the Great Society BLThe 1970s and 1980s: Backlash and an Emerging Conservative Consensus BLThe End of Welfare Entitlement BLA New World of Welfare How should we evaluate the current "welfare-to-work" model? Is a precipitous decline in state welfare caseloads sufficient evidence of success? Success, this book finds, has many measures, and ending welfare as an entitlement program has not ended arguments about how best to protect children from the ravages of poverty or how to address the plight of the most vulnerable among us. Series features: BLTimeline anchoring the discussion in time and place BLBibliography of print and Internet resources guiding further exploration of the subject BLCharts and tables analyzing complex data, including survey results

Highly topical and with an interdisciplinary focus, this book explores the recent political and social developments in EU citizenship. Bringing political scientists, sociologists and law scholars together, this book analyses the implications of identity categorisation regarding gender and generations in the EU and what this means for the realisation of citizens?' rights, particularly of women, young adults and migrant care workers throughout the EU. Established researchers explore the stories of social and civil rights in the EU, covering family mobility and migration issues, the precarious positions of female migrant workers across member states and the EU?s promotion of diverse family rights. Moreover, the book focuses on the prominent issues facing the new generation of young adults: particularly social mobility, civil rights and political parties?' differing views on gender and family issues. With insight into national and regional perspectives on these significant topics, the authors argue that the European Parliament is currently striving for a new consensus to unite member states and dissipate current divisions. An important read for academics and students from across the social sciences, specifically public and social policy, gender studies and European studies, interested in the future direction of the EU surrounding gender and generational division. Contributors include: G.M. Dotti Sani, J. Gal, T. Knijn, A. Krizsan, D. Lepianka, J. Long, M. Luppi, M. Naldini, R. Oomkens, L. Rolandsen Agustin, A. Santero, B. Siim, J. Sipic, D. Sirinic, C. Solera, L.J. van den Braken, M.A. Yerkes

In old England, if a king didn't like you, he would cut off your head. Now, if they don't like you, they'll cut off your project! As the Johnson Administration initiated its war on poverty in the 1960s, the Mingo County Economic Opportunity Commission project was established in southern West Virginia. Huey Perry, a young, local history teacher was named the director of this program and soon he began to promote self-sufficiency among low-income and vulnerable populations. As the poor of Mingo County worked together to improve conditions, the local political infrastructure felt threatened by a shift in power. Bloody Mingo County, known for its violent labor movements, corrupt government, and the infamous Hatfield-McCoy rivalry, met Perry's revolution with opposition and resistance. In They'll Cut Off Your Project, Huey Perry reveals his efforts to help the poor of an Appalachian community challenge a local regime. He describes this community's attempts to improve school programs and conditions, establish cooperative grocery stores to bypass inflated prices, and expose electoral fraud. Along the way, Perry unfolds the local authority's hostile backlash to such change and the extreme measures that led to an eventual investigation by the FBI. They'll Cut Off Your Project chronicles the triumphs and failures of the war on poverty, illustrating why and how a local government that purports to work for the public's welfare cuts off a project for social reform.

The Welfare State in Britain presents a history of British social policy from the election of Clement Attlee to the fall of Margaret Thatcher.Michael Hill focuses upon the political processes which influenced the key reforms of the late 1940s, and the ways in which those reforms have subsequently been consolidated and undermined. He critically examines some of the theories drawn from political science which have been used to explain the growth of the welfare state in Britain. The so called 'crisis of the welfare state' that has dominated recent rhetoric is shown to have its origins in the very period when the welfare state was believed to have been created. Despite its importance for electoral politics, social policy is shown to have often been subordinate to economic and foreign policy. The book will be essential reading for all students of social welfare and social policy as well as the political history of Britain since 1945.

"Living in the Land of Limbo" is the first anthology of short stories and poems about family caregivers. These men and women find themselves in "limbo," as they struggle to take care of a family member or friend in the uncertain world of chronic illness. The authors explore caregivers' experiences as they deal with family conflicts, the complexities of the health care system, and the impact of their choices on their lives and the lives of others. The book includes selections devoted to caregivers of aging parents; husbands and wives; ill children; and relatives, lovers, and friends. A final section is devoted to paid caregivers and their clients. Among the conditions that form the background of the selections are dementia, HIV/AIDS, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, and pediatric cancer.

Many of the authors are well-known poets and writers, but others have not been published in mainstream media. They represent a range of cultural backgrounds. Although their works approach caregiving in very different ways, the authors share a commitment to emotional truth, unvarnished by societal ideals of what caregivers should feel and do. These stories and poems paint profoundly moving and revealing portraits of family caregivers.

Our revision resources are the smart choice for those revising for externally assessed Component 3 in the Health and Social Care BTEC Tech Award. This book contains four full-length practice assessments, helping you to: Prepare by familiarising yourself with the structure and process for completing your assessment Practice by writing responses straight into the book Perfect your external assessment skills, with targeted hints, guidance and support for evvery question, along with answers. Revision is more than Practice Assessments! Make sure you have revised all the essential content for this unit and know what good responses look like with the accompanying Revise BTEC Tech Award Health and Social Care Revision Guide. Look out for links to the Revision Guide for futher information as you work through these practice assessments.

Mary, a caseworker at an agency for intellectually challenged people, meets her new client Chris, whose family wants to put him in a group home. As she gets to know him, Mary begins to question Chris's diagnosis.

Even as his life circumstances appear to improve, with a job and a new home, Chris seems to get worse. After a series of disasters, including a suicide attempt, leave him homeless, Mary takes Chris to stay with her family temporarily. That's when the memories come pouring out.

This true story provides a unique view of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both from the perspective of a sexual abuse victim recovering the memories of his experiences and from the day-to-day observations of the person helping him through it. This grim topic is addressed with love, courage, and even humour, and Chris's journey to recovery offers insights into the effects of PTSD and the strategies for dealing with its symptoms.

The Handbook of Social Choice and Welfare presents, in two volumes, essays on past and on-going work in social choice theory and welfare economics. The first volume consists of four parts. In Part 1 (Arrovian Impossibility Theorems), various aspects of Arrovian general impossibility theorems, illustrated by the simple majority cycle first identified by Condorcet, are expounded and evaluated. It also provides a critical survey of the work on different escape routes from impossibility results of this kind. In Part 2 (Voting Schemes and Mechanisms), the operation and performance of voting schemes and cost-sharing mechanisms are examined axiomatically, and some aspects of the modern theory of incentives and mechanism design are expounded and surveyed. In Part 3 (structure of social choice rules), the positional rules of collective decision-making (the origin of which can be traced back to a seminal proposal by Borda), the game-theoretic aspects of voting in committees, and the implications of making use of interpersonal comparisons of welfare (with or without cardinal measurability) are expounded, and the status of utilitarianism as a theory of justice is critically examined. It also provides an analytical survey of the foundations of measurement of inequality and poverty. In order to place these broad issues (as well as further issues to be discussed in the second volume of the Handbook) in perspective, Kotaro Suzumura has written an extensive introduction, discussing the historical background of social choice theory, the vistas opened by Arrow's "Social Choice and Individual Values," the famous "socialist planning" controversy, and the theoretical and practical significance of social choice theory. The primary purpose of this Handbook is to provide an accessible introduction to the current state of the art in social choice theory and welfare economics. The expounded theory has a strong and constructive message for pursuing human well-being and facilitating collective decision-making.

*Advances economists understanding of recent advances in social choice and welfare

*Distills and applies research to a wide range of social issues

*Provides analytical material for evaluating new scholarship

*Offers consolidated reviews and analyses of scholarship in a framework that encourages synthesis. "

In the past few years, one of the most misunderstood concepts is income disparity. Income inequality issues are now a concern for the public. However, it was heightened by the recession in 2008-09, resulting in consequences for the corporate sector, the Occupy Wall Street movement, Covid-19 pandemic and a myriad of other events. This book analyzed how income disparity is rising with higher income distribution margins witnessed among the highest earners. This book has thirteen chapters, eliminating the introductory overview chapter, on income disparity, poverty, and economic well-being. These chapters were authored by academics who publish articles on these issues on a regular basis. The literature on these issues is substantial, and research interest in these topics has a long history. Furthermore, it is fairly unusual for academics' viewpoints on these subjects to disagree. In light of this, the subjects of the articles may best be regarded as representing the contributors' different viewpoints. Graduate students and professional researchers will also find these guides an excellent contribution to supplemental teaching in economic fields, especially labor economics, macroeconomics, and economic policies.

Methodologically rigorous and geographically exhaustive, Post-Communist Welfare States in European Context is an insightful empirical analysis of social policy patterns in Central and Eastern Europe. It is a must-read for everyone interested in comparing hybrid emerging social protection models in the divergent new Europe with established worlds of welfare in Western Europe. Kati Kuitto has written a state-of-the-art study in comparative welfare, emphasizing regime change and variability over regime coherence and stability.' - Pieter Vanhuysse, University of Southern DenmarkWelfare reforms in post-communist countries are determined by economic and social hardship, democratization of the political systems and rapid structural change. This groundbreaking book provides a comprehensive and systematic empirical assessment of the Central and Eastern European post-communist welfare states in the context of their Western European counterparts. Basing the study on new data on welfare entitlements and cluster analysis, Kati Kuitto systematically compares 26 European welfare states across three empirical dimensions. The author employs a multidimensional framework to analyze patterns of welfare policies and highlight spending priorities, financing and the generosity of welfare entitlements. Kati Kuitto thus sheds light on the hybrid patterns of welfare policies in post-communist countries as they have emerged after the period of transformation and discusses their future challenges. Unique and comprehensive, this is essential reading for researchers in the fields of comparative welfare state research and Central and Eastern European studies, as well as students and practitioners of social policy, social security and political economy.