Social Policy Research Papers

This paper studies the pattern of poverty, discusses various strategies of poverty reduction. The level of poverty is being analyzed according to various criteria. In this paper we propose to build the changes in relevant indicators of poverty level on the basis of various programs such as targeted social support. Method of Data Envelopment Analysis which operates with the concepts of economics and system analysis is being implied in this economic study.

- by
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- Economics, Development Economics, Social Policy, Development Studies

This paper focuses on how community workers in Shepparton viewed the impact of the Place Based Income Management (PBIM) trial on the lives of their clients, their clients' families, and the broader community. The paper responds to criticism that there has been a lack of community voices in the development of PBIM or of their inclusion in the formal evaluation framework, raised in Philip Mendes's 2013 study of this trial site. A key policy goal underlying Income Management is that the tool assists low‑income people to become better money managers. Our study found that Shepparton community workers also used the parlance of 'tool' to describe the programmatic value of the BasicsCard in their interactions with clients. However, the BasicsCard appeared marginal to their discussions. Three clear themes emerged from the interviews: Shepparton's focus on voluntary clients, and ascertaining why participation in the local trial had dropped; that support for IM centred on the voluntary measure and the extra resources available to assist clients; and pragmatically locating the program in the middle of a welfare continuum that stretched from the voluntary Centrepay at one end to the highly coercive and restrictive paternalism of State Trustees at the other.

The article discusses how current changes in the system of reasoning about education in Finland, Iceland and Sweden are characterised by culturally woven patterns where marketisation strategies, for instance budget reform, are introduced as technically effective devices both for educating the best and to increase inclusion. This system of reason presupposes that the neo-liberalist restructuring changes are inevitable global phenomena and that they are a progress compared with the old arrangements, but is silent about socio-economic issues and the equity goals of the 1960s-1980s. The article also argues that school-based self-evaluation as a practice and as a language is a normalising technique that ensures that school actors will identify the obstacles encountered in the restructuring transition so that neither state nor other authorities intervene.

- by Hannu Simola and +1
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- Marketing, Education, Social Policy, Governance

Over the past decade the approaches adopted towards the mental health care of refugees by a range of national and international healthcare organisations have been the subject of a sustained and growing critique. Much of this critique has focused on the way in which Western psychiatric categories have been ascribed to refugee populations in ways which, critics argue, pay scant attention to the social, political and economic factors that play a pivotal role in refugees' experience. Rather than portraying refugees as ''passive victims'' suffering mental health problems, critics have argued that attention should be given to the resistance of refugees and the ways in which they interpret and respond to experiences, challenging the external forces bearing upon them. In this paper a range of issues concerning the mental health care of refugees will be examined. These include the role of psychiatric diagnosis in relation to refugees' own perceptions of their need and within the context of general health and social care provision. In examining services the emergence of new paradigms in mental health care is identified. These include the growth of holistic approaches that take account of refugees' own experiences and expressed needs and which address the broader social policy contexts in which refugees are placed. A three-dimensional model for the analysis of the interrelationship between ''macro'' level institutional factors in the mental health of refugees and the individual treatment of refugees within mental health services is proposed. #

- by Charles Watters
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- Sociology, Psychiatry, Anthropology, Social Policy

The conception of a cultural moral right is useful in capturing the social-moral realities that underlie debate about universal health care. In asserting such rights, individuals make claims above and beyond their legal rights, but... more
The conception of a cultural moral right is useful in capturing the social-moral realities that underlie debate about universal health care. In asserting such rights, individuals make claims above and beyond their legal rights, but those claims are based on the society's existing commitments and moral culture. In the United States such a right to accessible basic health care is generated by various empirical social facts, primarily the conjunction of the legal requirement of access to emergency care with widely held principles about unfair free riding and just sharing of costs between well and ill. The right can get expressed in social policy through either single-payer or mandated insurance. (2) The same elements that generate this right provide modest assistance in determining its content, the structure and scope of a basic minimum of care. They justify limits on patient cost sharing, require comparative effectiveness, and make cost considerations relevant. They shed light on the status of expensive, marginally life extending, last-chance therapies, as well as life support for PVS patients. They are of less assistance in settling contentious debates about screening for breast and prostate cancer and treatments for infertility and erectile dysfunction, but even there they establish a useful framework for discussion. Scarcity of resources need not be a leading conceptual consideration in discerning a basic minimum. More important are the societal elements that generate the cultural moral right to a basic minimum.

- by Paul T Menzel
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- Philosophy, Applied Ethics, Social Policy, Human Rights

25 years since the conception of the ‘24-hour city’ and the subsequent birth of the ‘night time economy’ in academic literature and policy, this study investigates the impact of the night time economy on a London borough. Through interviews with a cross section of stakeholders about their experiences of the night time economy and its management, the research finds that more needs to be done to effectively balance the needs of different groups. This study suggests that the night time economy is seen as an important asset to many both economically and culturally, but that many practical issues still remain. Changes to regulation and management of the NTE are necessary to fully recognise its potential.

- by Tom Gill
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- Social Policy, Urban Planning, Governance, Creative Industries

I Centri di accoglienza sono le strutture nelle quali viene offerta una prima ospitalità e assistenza ai migranti. In Italia, negli anni e soprattutto in occasioni di «emergenze umanitarie», sono stati aperti tipi differenti di Centri. L'articolo, oltre a descrivere le differenti caratteristiche delle strutture oggi operative, presenta parte del dibattito in corso tra giuristi, scienziati politico-sociali ed esperti di servizi sociali, evidenziando i principali discorsi retorici sul tema e gli elementi di etichettamento degli stranieri inseriti in un progetto di assistenza.

- by Marco Accorinti
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- Social Policy, Migration, Migration Studies, Sociology of Migration
- by jide maxy
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- Social Work, Social Policy, Disability Studies, Disability
- by Frederick Harry Pitts
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- Political Sociology, Social Theory, Political Economy, Social Policy

This paper focuses on the pursuits of the decentralized French services in the field of disability policies. It explores the relationships at the local level between Éducation nationale, Ministry of National Éducation and Social Cohesion’s Departmental Services with the “Maisons Départementales des Personnes Handicapées” (Departmental House for Disabled Persons). It shows that the reforms implemented since the mid 2000-2010’s harmed these decentralized services’ institutional and human resources. However, strong differences between sectors are highlighted. Whereas the DDCS faces hurdles to action, the Ministry of National Éducation is much more involved in the MDPH daily running. Through an analysis of the resources and knowledge at the disposal of these both decentralized services, this paper eventually stresses the French State’s abilities.

- by Pierre-Yves Baudot
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- Social Policy, Disability policy, Decentralization

During the 1990s several alarming reports have been filed concerning policy failures in Third World countries. They indicate that globalisation and the structural adjustment policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have reduced the capacity of government to conduct education and social policies that counteract poverty. Here we suggest an alternative explanation focusing upon internal factors within

- by Svante Ersson
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- Social Policy, Economic Growth, Human Development, Third World

This paper provides a conceptual lens to address the complexity of policies involved in reconciling paid work and family responsibilities. Our typology classifies policies by how they intervene in the relation between paid work and family relations-by alternating paid and unpaid work, by transferring unpaid work outside the family or by formalizing home-based paid care-and by disaggregating implications for both social equity and gender relations (maternalism versus paternal or state co-responsibility) across policies. The paper makes a threefold contribution. First, our typology looks at a set of policies rather than specific policies or overall policy regimes. Second, it helps disaggregate implications for gender and social equity. Third, it allows for comparative analysis of small and large numbers of cases across policy stages. Although we draw on Latin America, 1 our typology has broader application and is especially suited to examining countries with high-income inequality.

- by Juliana Martinez Franzoni
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- Sociology, Social Policy, Latin American politics, Work Family Balance

Politique agricole, relance économique, vaccin contre le Covid-19, législation environnementale, etc. : l’Union européenne joue un rôle essentiel et controversé dans la vie de ses habitants depuis des décennies. Sur toutes ces questions, trois modèles s’affrontent : l’Europe du marché, l’Europe solidaire et l’Europe puissance.
À partir d’archives inédites, Laurent Warlouzet revisite l’histoire du continent au prisme de la lutte homérique entre ces trois visions depuis 1945 : l’Europe du marché, souvent dénoncée pour ses dérives ultralibérales, surtout depuis la tragédie grecque du début des années 2010 ; l’Europe solidaire, celle des législations sociales et de la promotion de l’égalité hommes-femmes, qui a conduit la majorité des syndicats britanniques à appeler à voter contre le Brexit ; l’Europe puissance, enfin, évanescente sur le plan militaire, mais s’exprimant dans les projets de politique industrielle communautaire ou dans la lutte contre les GAFAM, et voulant s’imposer face à ses concurrents, États-Unis, Russie ou Chine.
Cette nouvelle histoire de l’Europe, vivante, heurtée et mouvementée, nous montre que l’organisation de l’Union ne suit pas une logique mécanique et univoque. En exhumant des projets abandonnés mais sérieusement envisagés, elle propose aussi autant de futurs possibles dont les Européens pourraient se saisir.

- by Laurent Warlouzet
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- European History, Social Policy, European integration, Environmental History

1. Phd dissertation Synopsis: Dynamic and continuously evolving social policy, with its diverse approaches and vague delineation that illustrate the continuous engagement of the individual with the collective, the social with the economic and the political with the cultural element, constitutes a field of robust study and reflection on the implementation of social policy in the particular circumstances of each state. The inability of the Greek social security system to meet the needs of society as mandated by the institutional framework since the mid-1980s has provided the evidence for this study on the institutional development of social policy in Greece. There are weaknesses in the Greek welfare system. Similar problems were observed in almost all countries since the 1980s, and they were attributed to the growth of the welfare state with its high operational and provisional costs. Within this framework, the extensive international literature highlights the pluralism of approaches to the issue, thus reinforcing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the subject matter of social policy. Such an approach draws the necessary theoretical and methodological knowledge primarily from sociology as well as from legal, economic, political and administrative sciences, but mainly from history. Thus the role of Economic History becomes very important. Economic History shows that different characteristics of the shape and growth of the economies in European countries determined the institutional formation of social policy. This study, based on both qualitative and raw quantitative data, focuses on the institutional dimension of social policy in the Hellenic State for more than two centuries (1828-2008), with an emphasis on the redistribution mechanisms of social security.

- by Konstantinos Doukakis
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- Economic History, Greek History, Social Policy, Welfare State

Tutti i finanziamenti e le riforme per il welfare contenute nel PNRR.
welfare ebook n. 3/2021

- by Franco Pesaresi
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- Social Policy, Long Term Care, Public Health Policy, Public Health
- by Karlita Melendez
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- Public Administration, Education, Social Policy, Adult Education

There has been a significant shift among antipoverty nonprofits toward what we call relational work, which involves working with clients over time on life changes. Some scholars discuss this, often in negative terms, as part of a broader neoliberal trend. We argue that relational work is an important and unavoidable part of ongoing efforts against poverty and homelessness. We also discuss the broader theoretical context that make scholars suspicious of this kind of antipoverty work, and argue for a multifaceted approach to poverty that includes attention to relational work and the agency of clients.

- by Michael Jindra
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- Social Work, Social Policy, Poverty, Poverty and Inequality

The European Union (EU) has closely correlated different aspects of the peace process in Bosnia with progress towards European accession. The ‘power of attraction’ of EU membership would presumably induce the Bosnian authorities to accept the adaptation costs of political and economic transformation. However, the Europeanisation approach has not produced the expected results. The track record of the EU’s policies towards Bosnia represents a paradigmatic case of what would happen if almost nothing works as efficiently as in the case of the countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. The article investigates the causes of EU policy failure in Bosnia and claims that the EU has not effectively responded to three challenges: 1) adjust the process to the needs of an ethnically divided post-war state; 2) preserve the credibility of accession conditionality, and 3) convey the proper messages on how to comply with EU rules. Therefore, the article argues for a more cohesive and consistent EU approach towards Bosnia.

- by puraneori sukma
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- African Studies, Public Administration, Social Work, Social Policy

Given the prominence of Muslim veils—in particular the hijab and full-face veil—in public discourse concerning the place of Muslims in Western society, we examined their impact on non-Muslims’ responses at both explicit and implicit levels. Results revealed that responses were more negative toward any veil compared with no veil, and more negative toward the full-face veil relative to the hijab: for emotions felt toward veiled women (Study 1), for non-affective attitudinal responses (Study 2), and for implicit negative attitudes revealed through response latency measures (Studies 3a and 3b). Finally, we manipulated the perceived reasons for wearing a veil, finding that exposure to positive reasons for wearing a veil led to better predicted and imagined contact (Study 4). Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

- by Brian D . Earp
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- Religion, Comparative Religion, Cultural History, Sociology

Problematic substance use is a significant concern for Aboriginal communities across Australia. Most approaches to intervention are individualised, locating the problem and the solution in the substance user. When problematic use is common within a family and community, individual treatment is likely to be ineffective. A literature review of familyfocussed and culturally specific drug and alcohol interventions was conducted to inform the development of family-focussed interventions in the community setting. The review supports the development of family-focussed interventions, suggesting this approach will be culturally appropriate and effective for Aboriginal communities. The potential role of social work in working with Aboriginal communities on problematic substance use, and likely barriers for the profession, are discussed.

- by Alice Munro
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- Health Sciences, Social Work, Social Policy, Mental Health

This paper raises the hypothesis that a pluralistic welfare model is being
shaped in the Ionian island during the British occupation due to the
particularities of the cultural, political, economic and societal characteristics of the Ionian society and economy. A long term institutional analysis of the welfare provisions, from the Venetian period to the British rule, reveals the development of a complex coexistence, unique in the area at that period, of public and private institutions that aim to alleviate the paupers and those in need.

In the course of history an interesting evolution has taken place in European gender equality policies. This story started in 1957 when the European Economic Community was founded and the principle of equal pay for equal work for men and women was included in the Treaty of Rome to avoid unfair competition and distortions in the free European market. Soon the Treaty article would evolve into a broader demand for equal rights related to work and result in a series of binding directives. In the eighties and nineties gender equality would increasingly enter other policy domains by means of non-binding soft law and gender mainstreaming. More recently, the EU has turned towards an approach of multiple discrimination which involves other grounds of discrimination, such as race and sexuality. The aim of this article is to review the history of gender equality policy in the EU while distinguishing some general trends, and discuss the implications of the most recent turn towards an anti-discrimination framework. I conclude that despite a continuous broadening of policies and strategies, economic motives continue to be the leitmotiv throughout this history. Also the broadening of EU equality policies with regard to the inclusion of multiple inequalities risks being trapped in the same economic logic. Nevertheless, despite the economic framing of EU equality policies, the pluralist and open nature of the EU’s decision-making process still provides gender activists with multiple access points to attempt to re-frame the way in which gender issues are addressed, as the struggle for a gender-just Europe continues.

- by Petra Debusscher
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- Social Movements, European Studies, Gender Studies, Social Policy

Türkiye, her iki dünya savaşı ertesi köklü dönüşümler geçirdi. İlki 600 yıllık Osmanlı hanedanına son verdi. İkincisi ise Tek Parti döneminin sonu oldu; Türkiye’de siyasi demokrasinin yolunu açtı. İkinci Dünya Savaşı’nda Türkiye tarafsız kaldı. Ancak, savaşın tüm olumsuzluklarını bilfiil yaşadı. Tek Parti döneminin toplumsal dengeleri büyük ölçüde hasar gördü. Milli Korunma Kanunu, Varlık Vergisi, Toprak Mahsulleri
Vergisi, İş Mükellefiyeti gibi uygulamalar toplumsal katmanları iktidara karşı tavır almaya sevk etti. Devletin savaş içinde kararlarını hayata geçirme konusundaki zaafları belirginleşirken; kitlelerin gündelik yaşamda tepki ve direnişleri de çığ gibi arttı. Gerek çok partili sisteme geçişte, gerekse 1940’ların ikinci yarısında gündeme gelen sosyal politika alanındaki reformlarda toplum tabanında gözlenen yılgınlık ve
tepkiler önemli bir rol oynadı.
Murat Metinsoy’un kitabı işte bu zor yılların toplumsal öyküsünü gündeme getiriyor. Olaylar dizinini tabandan irdeleyerek; kitlelerin yaşam deneyimlerini, serzenişlerini, gündelik yaşamdaki direnişlerini vurgulayarak… Otoriter dönemlerde bile toplumun
gündelik mücadelelerinin ve taleplerinin siyasete etki edebileceğini
ortaya koyarak…
Zafer Toprak, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi

- by Murat Metinsoy
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- Social Movements, Social Policy, Historical Sociology, Poverty

Bireyler, meşruiyetini ve inanılırlığını kaybeden neoliberal rüyadan artık uyanıyorlar. Eşitsizlikten adaletsizliğe, işsizlikten güvencesizliğe neoliberalizmin ürettiklerini ve derinleştirdiklerini kendi bireysel hatası ya da suçu olarak... more

- by Bilge Filiz
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- Social Policy, Social Justice, Turkey, Neoliberalism

This paper discusses the nature, context and evolution of social policy training in the South African context. It addresses the definition and scope of social policy, social policy and social work practice in South Mrica and deals with social policy content in social work curricula in schools/departments in South African universities. The unique experiences of these departments/schools mirror the wider complexities of South African society, which is undergoing deep-seated changes and transformation in all spheres of life. The major antecedent to such change and transformation was the first democratic elections of 1994 that saw the demise of the former political system of apartheid.

- by Ndangwa Noyoo
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- Social Work, Social Policy, Social Development in developing countries

2012 tarihinde İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği Kanunu ile getirilen İSG profesyonelleri çalıştırma zorunluluğu bu mesleğe olan talebi artırmış ve son yıllarda bu alanda istihdam açığını karşılamak ve İSG uzmanı yetiştirmek üzere üniversitelerin meslek yüksekokulları ve lisansüstü programlarında iş sağlığı ve güvenliği programları açılmıştır. Her ne kadar İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği kanununda, iş güvenliği uzmanlığı belgesine sahip Bakanlık ve ilgili kuruluşlarında çalışma hayatını denetleyen müfettişler ile mühendislik veya mimarlık eğitimi veren fakültelerin mezunları ile teknik elemanların iş güvenliği uzmanı olabileceği

- by serap palaz
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- Social Policy, Women's Studies, Labour Economics

Coprogettazione: tutto quello che serve per farla davvero.

This paper discusses the impact of neoliberalism on disability policy and activism. The paper highlights the neoliberalisation of postsocialist disability policy, as well as the convergence between the neoliberal critique of welfare-state paternalism and the advocacy of disabled people’s movement for deinstitutionalisation and direct payments (personal assistance). The discussion is supported by examples from Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. In conclusion, the paper argues that neoliberalism confronts the disabled people’s movement with two difficult tasks: to defend self-determination while criticising market-based individualism, and to defend the welfare state while criticising expert-based paternalism.

- by Teodor Mladenov
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Social Movements, Social Policy

This study was commissioned by Practical Action Nepal Office, under the PRISM (Poverty Reduction of Informal Workers in Solid Waste Management Sector) project. Practical Action aims to reduce poverty in developing countries by introducing appropriate technologies for the communities, demonstrating results, sharing knowledge, building capacity to replicate and influencing others for scaling up. Through the PRISM Project, Practical Action aims to improve the living conditions of the informal waste workers (IWWs) and enhance the social protection of the vulnerable groups dependent on solid waste for their livelihoods in five municipalities of Kathmandu Valley. As a part of the PRISM Project, Practical Action commissioned two country studies of Social Protection for Informal Waste Workers. The first study was commissioned for Philippines and the second study for India. The studies were to be based solely on existing secondary sources . It is expected that the study of policies and practices in India and the lessons emerging from it would help Practical Action advocate better policies and practices in Nepal, thereby leading to better social protection for IWWs in Nepal.

This book offers an in-depth overview of Turkish history and politics essential for understanding contemporary Turkey. It presents an analysis on a number of key issues from gender inequality to Islamism to urban regeneration. Based on interviews with leading intellectuals and academics from Turkey, the book’s theme follows the dramatic transformations that have occurred from the 1980 military coup to the coup attempt of 2016 and its aftermath. It further draws attention to the global flows of capital, goods, ideas, and technologies that continue to influence both mainstream and dissident politics. By doing so, the book tries to unsettle the assumption that Erdoğan and his Islamic ideology are the sole actors in contemporary Turkey. This book provides unusual insight into the Turkish society bringing various topics together, and increases the dialogue for people interested in democratic struggles in 21st century under neoliberal authoritarian regimes in general

- by Aziz Çelik
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- Industrial And Labor Relations, Social Policy, Industrial Relations, Labour history
- by Aziz Çelik and +2
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- Social Policy, Labour history, Social History, History of Modern Turkey

Yep, fuck it. Neoliberalism sucks. We don't need it.

- by Simon Springer
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- Critical Theory, Management, Marketing, History

Alternative Unemployment Measurements in Turkey and in the World: Broad Definition of Unemployment and Labour Underutilization
Abstract
Unemployment measurement methods are of great importance in terms of understanding and interpreting the developments in the labour market. As is known, the standard unemployment measurement methods have a very limi- ted framework. The standard unemployment measurement is not sufficient to understand the structure of the labour force, as it excludes many factors in the labour market. In addition to the standard unemployment measurement met- hods, which focus only on active job seekers in a certain period, alternative me- asurement methods have become increasingly common in recent years. Those who are not looking for a job and are ready to work, the hopeless unemployed, and time-related underemployment, which mainstream unemployment measu- rement methods do not take into account, provide a much more comprehensive picture of the situation of the labour force. Alternative unemployment measure- ment, also known as “broad-defined unemployment” and adopted as labour un- derutilization in the literature, shows us the invisible part of the iceberg. In this study, it will be evaluated how alternative unemployment measurement metho- ds have become increasingly important in Turkey in recent years and have been adopted by TurkStat. It will also be discussed how alternative unemployment measurement methods are made in Turkey and in the world.
Keywords: unemployment, labour underutilization, alternative unemployment measurement, TurkStat, DISK-AR

- by Aziz Çelik and +1
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- Social Policy, Unemployment, Labour Economics, Labour Market

Öz: Bu çalışma refah devletinin ve sosyal politikanın kuruluşu ve kurumsallaşmasında olgusal olarak var olan toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizliklerini ortaya koymaktadır. Sosyal politika ve feminist hareket arasındaki ilişki paradoksaldır: Ataerkil toplumsal yapıların değiştirilmesinde bizatihi bu yapıları yeniden üreten devletin müdahalesine de ihtiyaç olduğundan, değişim için gereken müdahaleyi yine egemen toplumsal anlayışın diline tercüme etmek gerekmektedir. Çalışma, dünya genelinde feminist literatürün refah devleti tartışmalarına ve sosyal politikanın anaakımına getirdiği kuvvetli eleştirileri ortaya koymayı, Türkiye'deki kadın emeği odağındaki çalışmaların sosyal politika alanına getirdiği katkıları görünür kılmayı ve bu katkıların kamu politikası açısından doğurgularını göstermeyi amaçlamaktadır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Refah Devleti, Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliği, Sosyal Politika, Kamu Politikası. The criticisms and contributions of feminism to welfare state and social policy. Abstract: The study presents gender inequalities that have appeared in the establishment and institutionalization of welfare state and social policy. There is a paradox between feminist movements and social policy: state intervention is required in order to change patriarchal social structures, but for state interventions to establish gender equality, the demands of feminist movements must first be translated into the language of the dominant ideology. The study aims to underline feminist acquisitions in this difficult relationship. To this end, it summarizes the powerful criticisms directed by feminist literature against the main stream of social policy and aims to make visible the contribution of studies focusing on women's work in Turkey, and to underline the implications for economic and public policy.

- by Reyhan Atasü - Topcuoglu
- •
- Social Work, Social Policy, Women's Studies, Feminist Theory

This paper aims to explore the influence of interest groups regarding social welfare policies implemented in North Macedonia and analyze how this influence is perceived through citizens’ lenses. Considering the importance of interest groups in democratic systems where principles of good governance should be implemented, it is of main importance to explore at what extent interest groups contribute or affect processes of policy-making. What are some interest groups that can be considered as influential and have the highest levels of membership referring to social policies? How do citizen-beneficiaries perceive current Macedonian welfare state and what is their perception regarding the role of interest groups in pushing policy processes? The purpose of the paper is to explore associations that aim to protect public interest and influence decision making as much as groups serving narrow interests in the field of social policy. There is increasing recognition of the emergence of new and ...

- by Elisabeta Bajrami Ollogu
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- Social Policy, Welfare State

This paper presents a frame work for hardware acceleration for post video processing system implemented on FPGA. The deblocking filter algorithms ported on SOC having Altera NIOS-II soft core processor.SOC designed with the help of SOPC builder .Custom instructions are chosen by identifying the most frequently used tasks in the algorithm and the instruction set of NIOS-II processor has been extended. Deblocking filter new instruction added to the processor that are implemented in hardware and interfaced to the NIOS-II processor. New instruction added to the processor to boost the performance of the deblocking filter algorithm. Use of custom instructions the implemented tasks have been accelerated by 5.88%. The benefit of the speed is obtained at the cost of very small hardware resources.

Numerous unconditional basic income (UBI) pilot projects raise the ques- tions whether this idea can be transformed from a theoretical concept into a universal tool and be implemented both in poor and rich countries. In this article the unconditional basic income concept and the arguments of its supporters and opponents are presented. Based on the literature review, the discussions about UBI are analyzed and systemized. In conclusion, the author reflects on the perspectives of introduction of UBI and its dangers.

- by Grzegorz Golebiowski
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- Social Policy, Basic Income, Economic freedom

The process of Europeanization implies a confluence of resources and outputs by the EU member states. This is mainly due to both structural economic harmonisation and institutional system-building. This paper deals with welfare developments in the European social model in contemporary times. After identifying major changes affecting European countries both functionally and territorially, EU initiatives in social policy-making are reviewed. New policies aimed at co-ordinating employment and social policies at the European level (OMC) have tried to offer perspectives for reconciling the dichotomies between the economic and the social and the national and the European. Hence, while a paradigm shift in macro-economic policies has allowed for monetary centralisation and a growing matching of EU internal 'open' markets, the quest for the decentralisation of welfare programmes has also aimed at meeting demands for territorial subsidiarity. Reforms related to the emergence of new social risks (NSR) may provide EU institutions with initiatives for making social policy reforms coherent with the new economic policy orientations, while also respecting national diversity. Speculative observations on whether there is convergence in social policy paradigms in European countries are carried out in the conclusion of the paper.

- by Bruno Palier
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- Social Policy, Economic policy, Paradigm Shift, New Economic Policy
- by Saskia Vermeylen
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- Engineering, Technology, Social Policy, Climate Change

Despite an enormous and persistent black-white wealth gap, the ascendant American narrative is one that proclaims that our society has transcended the racial divide. The proclamation often is coupled with the claim that remaining disparities are due primarily to dysfunctional behavior on the part of blacks. In such a climate it appears the only acceptable remedial social policies are those that are facially race neutral. However, even without the capacity to redistribute assets directly on the basis of race, our nation still can do so indirectly by judiciously using wealth as the standard for redistributive measures. We offer a bold progressive child development account type program that could go a long way towards eliminating the racial wealth gap.

- by Darrick Hamilton
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- Social Policy, Child Development, Applied Economics
- by Simon J Duffy
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- Social Work, Social Policy, Public Policy

No social policy can expect to achieve a 100 per cent success rate and yet, according to government, the Troubled Families Programme has achieved almost exactly that. The programme has apparently turned around the lives of some of the most disadvantaged and excluded families in a remarkably short period of time. All of this has occurred against a backdrop of cuts to local services and welfare reforms which have hit, not just families, but also the organisations and councils that deliver services to them. This briefing paper traces the history of the programme and questions claims of success made by government and their problematic use of data. Quite simply, the reported successes of the Troubled Families Programme are too good to be true and require closer public and political scrutiny than they have received to date.

- by Stephen Crossley
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- Social Policy

Social Policy Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)