BEING POOR IN A RICH "NANNY STATE": DEVELOPMENTS IN SINGAPORE SOCIAL WELFARE

2015 ◽  
Vol 60 (03) ◽  
pp. 1550038 ◽  
Author(s):  
IRENE Y. H. NG
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Income Poverty ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Philosophical Orientation ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
National Priority ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Social Divide ◽  
Wage Earnings

This paper reviews the trends in poverty and inequality in Singapore since independence, as well as policy recommendations adopted through the years, and their results. Poverty is discussed not only in terms of wage earnings, but also in relation to employment conditions, social challenges that pile up together with income poverty, and intergenerational mobility. The paper finds that notwithstanding improvements in early decades, after fifty years, the problems of a social divide and poverty have come full circle. Social policy in Singapore retains its fundamentally productivist philosophical orientation, but the recent deterioration in poverty, inequality and mobility trends is leading to adoption of more welfare-oriented and universalist policy solutions. Social inclusion is now a national priority, and policy redirection for the future needs to take place in wide-ranging policy domains, including the labor market and economic growth.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Bea Cantillon ◽  
Tim Goedemé ◽  
John Hills
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Income Poverty ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Europe 2020 ◽  
Social Market ◽  
The Impact

This chapter sets the scene of the book and makes the connection with recent contributions to the field, including influential works of globally leading experts that converge on one point: globalization and technological progress are making the currents of social market economies more unequal. The central question asked in this book is how we can realize decent incomes for all in Europe. To answer this question, the book reflects upon the most prominent measure of income poverty in the EU (the at-risk-of-poverty indicator) and describes past trends in poverty and inequality in Europe. It evaluates the impact of the economic crisis and austerity measures on poverty and inequality and assesses the effectiveness of detailed policy packages as well as the impact of social innovation and social investment. Finally, the book looks at the future by analyzing concrete policy packages and the trade-offs involved that could contribute to meeting the Europe 2020 social inclusion target in a more distant future.

scholarly journals The Silver Economy in the context of Corporate Social Responsibility

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 33-32
Author(s):  
Monika Szewczyk
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Pension System ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
Corporate Social

Corporate social responsibility is a concept responding to climate change, environmental problems and the needs of stakeholders. Business makes an effort to act in the changing conditions, thus adapting to the expectations of the stakeholders and following the principles of sustainable economic development and social responsibility. One of the changes taking place in the current economic and social world is the change in the demographic structure of the population. The subject of the ageing population is often discussed, usually as a negative aspect in the context of changes in the pension system, health care costs or the employment conditions of older people. The principles of corporate social responsibility, such as social inclusion, anti-discrimination, and facilitating access to products and services create the basis for the development of the economy, focused on the use of the purchasing potential of older people. Thus, the perception of the demographic changes in this context becomes the ground for the formation of perspective solutions and the development of the silver economy. This model of the economy can be understood as a system which is based on adapting the production and distribution of products and services to older people. The main aim of this article is to present the challenges for companies in terms of the problems connected with an ageing population, as well as to present the main features of the concept of the silver economy in the context of corporate social responsibility. Moreover, considering the development of the silver economy, characteristics of older people as consumers should be taken into account. In this context, there are many stereotypes associated with the activities of the elderly. The article also notes the profile of potential customers of the silver economy, with a particular emphasis on the approach of the elderly to innovation, tradition and a broadly understood sense of security.

Resource-Free Parenting: The Not So Curious Absence of Money in Policy Discourses of Good Parenting in the UK and Japan

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Dermott ◽  
Junko Yamashita
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Parenting Practices ◽  
Positive Parenting ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Policy Discourses

This article examines recent Japanese and UK policy recommendations on parenting practices and highlights the absence of material resources in these discussions. Parenting has gained increased prominence in recent decades. In the realm of policy, there has been an expansive shift; from a narrowly focused concern with detecting neglect and abuse to the wider project of promoting ‘good’ parenting. Focusing on advice offered in relation to education and food, we note that in both Japan and the UK the relationship between money and the ability to perform idealised parenting practices is rarely mentioned. Our comparative analysis also highlights that this silence is handled differently in the two national contexts, and we suggest that this reflects different historical interests in poverty and inequality. In Japan, parents are encouraged to undertake activities that require financial resources, but the question of how poor parents should manage is left largely unanswered: in the UK, the parenting activities given greatest attention are those that do not rely on money, meaning that poverty can be left off the positive parenting agenda.

scholarly journals Decoding the Process of Social Value Creation by Chinese and Indian Social Entrepreneurs: Contributory Factors and Contextual Embeddedness

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 269-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak Sardana ◽  
Vassiliki Bamiatzi ◽  
Ying Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Process Framework ◽  
Social Value Creation

ABSTRACTNowadays social entrepreneurship is recognized as a two-way process, addressing both social and economic concerns that can bring social inclusion, equity, and development to disadvantaged groups in society. This aspect is particularly important and desirable within emerging economies. In these markets, which are constantly faced with profound economic and social challenges, we see the growing importance of social entrepreneurs as they take upon themselves the provision of welfare services and progressive activities. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the creation of social and economic values in social enterprises, and the factors contributing to the establishment of these value creation objectives, is still rather fragmented. Our article contributes to this gap in the literature by decoding the process via which for-profit social entrepreneurs from China and India create social and economic value. In addition, by combining a deductive and an inductive approach of analysis, we offer novel insights into the context-dependent processual patterns deciphered within the two countries. A new entrepreneurial process framework that reflects the contextualized social value creation process by social entrepreneurs is thus provided.

Arab Migrant Teachers in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Ridge ◽  
Soha Shami ◽  
Susan Kippels
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Economic Motivation ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Teacher Migration ◽  
The Status ◽  
Contractual Agreements

Globally, studies on migrant teachers have tended to focus on Africa and Asia, while the topic of teacher migration in the Middle East in general, and in the Gulf in particular, has not been examined before. This study examines the status of Arab migrant teachers through both an educational and institutional lens. The research employs a mixed-methods comparative approach to investigate contractual agreements, employment experiences, and social integration of Arab teachers in Qatar and the UAE. The results of the study are consistent with literature on the economic motivation behind migration. Arab migrant teachers come to the Gulf largely in order to make money and, in turn, to be able to provide for their families. In addition to examining the motivations for migration, the study also found that the majority of Arab migrant teachers come to the Gulf with the intention of living and working for significant periods of time. Examining issues such as how the uncertain employment conditions for expatriate Arab teachers manifest in their commitment to teaching, the chapter concludes by providing policy recommendations for improving the conditions and output of Arab migrant teachers in the UAE and Qatar.

Scheduling longer working lives for older aged care workers: A time and income capability approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 945-965
Author(s):  
Aaron Hart ◽  
Dina Bowman ◽  
Shelley Mallett
Keyword(s):  
Later Life ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Income Poverty ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Time Poverty ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Cost

Like many other countries, Australian government policy focuses on extending working life as a response to concern about the cost of an ageing population. In this article, we focus on older aged care workers and highlight how poor employment conditions hinder their capacity to work in later life. Many of these workers are at risk of time and income poverty, since they are on low wage, part-time, low-hour contracts and need to pick up extra shifts to earn a living wage. The interactions between time poverty and income poverty have been developed within a body of literature that analyses the quantities of time individuals and households allocate to paid employment, household, family and caring responsibilities, sleep and self-care. Burchardt’s notion of ‘time and income capability’ brings insights from this corpus into dialogue with the capabilities approach, a political philosophy that equates wellbeing with the breadth of realistic opportunities for people to do things that they have reason to value. This study uses Burchardt’s construct to analyse qualitative data from interviews with 20 older personal care workers. While all the workers we spoke with engaged in self-sustaining practices, there were varying levels of opportunity to pursue them. Workers with less time and income capability found it more difficult to sustain themselves and their households. Some employer practices diminished workers’ time and income capability: unrealistic workloads necessitating unpaid hours; providing little opportunity for input into rostering; and late-notice roster changes. When time and income capability was too low, workers’ informal care duties, social connections and health were compromised. In the Australian aged care sector, several changes can enable longer working lives: sufficient paid hours to perform the role, wage loading for hours in addition to those contracted, written notice for roster changes, and increased wages.

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