The Normative Construction of and Contestation over In-Work Benefits in Hong Kong: A Moral Economy Approach

Informed by moral economy theories, this article presents a qualitative study of the normative construction of and contestation over a new in-work benefit in Hong Kong, the Low-income Working Family Allowance (LIFA). Using a policy stakeholder approach to examining the public’s ideas and justifications of LIFA, the findings reveal the eligibility-defined entitlement shared by claimants, scepticism towards long working hours conditionality required by LIFA, complex understanding of deservingness and self-reliance, and dissatisfaction with the closing gap between welfare and wages. This article connects moral economy theories to the normative basis of a social security system, offering insights for capturing the dynamics of consensus and controversies about social welfare. It also extends the research on morality and social welfare from Western countries to an Asian context. The case of Hong Kong evidences how policy stakeholders make moral sense of a new welfare in the absence of social right language.

VULNERABILIDADE SOCIAL: práticas e desafios em escolas públicas de educação básica

O artigo caracteriza vulnerabilidade como um processo dinâmico situado entre inclusão e exclusão para então discutir características do Programa Bolsa Família pela análise de fontes variadas como legislação, relatórios e boletins. A seguir apresenta pesquisa realizada em Município da Grande Porto Alegre considerando dois níveis de práticas de gestão: (a) práticas que a rede municipal cria para lidar com situações de estudantes beneficiários do PBF; (b) práticas que equipes diretivas criam para enfrentar desafios e desenvolverem ações de gestão comprometidas com a comunidade, seus estudantes e a democratização da educação. A metodologia é de cunho qualitativo, relacionada ao interacionismo simbólico e discussão em grupo de membros de equipes diretivas de algumas escolas com grande quantidade de estudantes beneficiários do PBF. Dentre os desafios estão questões voltadas para a permanência dos estudantes nas escolas; a distorção idade-série e o manejo dos casos de infrequência. Tais desafios estão relacionados aos contextos de vulnerabilidade social, à presença de ilícitos de diversos tipos, incluindo o uso de drogas e guerra entre facções que, muitas vezes, levam as famílias a mudarem de residência.Palavras-chave: Programa bolsa família; Gestão escolar; Escola pública.SOCIAL VULNERABILITY: practices and challenges in public schools of basic educationAbstract The article characterizes vulnerability as a dynamic process between inclusion and exclusion and then discusses characteristics of the BFP-Bolsa Família Program (Family Allowance Program), by analyzing various sources, such as legislation, reports and students report cards. Next a survey performed in a Greater Porto Alegre municipality is discussed, considering two levels of management practices: (a) practices created by the municipal network to deal with situations regarding students who are the beneficiaries of the BFP; (b) practices created by management teams to deal with challenges and develop management actions committed to the community, its students and democratization of education. The methodology is qualitative and related to symbolic interactionism and group discussion by members of the management teams of some schools where many students are BFP beneficiaries. Among the challenges are the need to get the forces of the school community to take action considering the efforts at democratization and aimed at keeping the students in school; the age-grade distortion and the management of cases of non-attendance. These challenges are related to the contexts of social vulnerability, to the presence of various kinds of illegalities, including the use of drugs and warring among the factions, that often lead families to move from their homes.Key words: Bolsa Família Program; school management; public school.VULNERABILIDAD SOCIAL: practices and challenges in public schools of basic educationResumenEl artículo caracteriza vulnerabilidad como un proceso dinámico entre inclusión y exclusión para luego discutir las características del Programa Bolsa Familia a través del análisis de fuentes variadas como legislación, informes y boletines. A continuación, discute las investigaciones realizadas en municipio del Gran Porto Alegre considerando dos niveles de prácticas de gestión: (a) prácticas que crea la red municipal para atender situaciones de estudiantes beneficiarios por el PBF; (b) prácticas que equipos directivos crean para enfrentar desafíos y desarrollar acciones de gestión comprometidas con la comunidad, sus estudiantes y la democratización de la educación. La metodología es de carácter cualitativo, relacionada al interaccionismo simbólico y la discusión en grupo de miembros de equipos directivos de algunas escuelas con gran número de alumnos beneficiarios por el PBF. Entre los desafíos se encuentra la necesidad de activar las fuerzas de la comunidad escolar con miras a los esfuerzos de democratización y orientados para la permanencia de los estudiantes en las escuelas; la distorsión del grado de edad y el manejo de casos poco frecuentes. Dichos desafíos están relacionados con contextos de vulnerabilidad social, la presencia de actos ilícitos de diversa índole, incluyendo el consumo de drogas y la guerra entre facciones que, muchas veces, llevan a las familias a cambiar de residencia.Palabras-clave: programa bolsa familia; gestión escolar; escuela pública.

Thoughts about indexing family benefits: Are authorities permitted to apply the Austrian indexation of family benefits? The primacy of EU law and the right/obligation to request a ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union

Austria amended legislation, adjusting family benefits such as the family allowance and the deductible family allowance amount to the (lower) price level indices for consumer goods and services (indexation) of the State of residence of the child. This case is not a unique case. In the European Union, similar endeavours were envisaged in several Member States. The Austrian legislation, however, is now being challenged before the CJEU. In the authors’ opinion, this unsuitable cost-saving budget measure contradicts Union law. Consequently, the provisions concerned must remain unapplied. After all, since the Austrian legislation is obviously incompatible with primary Union law, authorities or courts are not even required to refer the matter to the CJEU.

Environmental perception of fishermen: use and conservation of fisheries resources

The principal aim was to assess the environmental perception of the fishermen, and implement educational activities, on an island in Brazil. Twelve people between the ages of 23 and 63 were interviewed, of whom 75% were male, and 58.33% did not complete their elementary education. Regarding social benefits, 33.33% receive a family allowance and 16.66% receive the so-called 'green allowance' (financial assistance to extremely poor families who live in areas of environmental preservation). Fishing remains the main economic activity (58.73%). The most common types of fishing gear are the 'zangarias' (41.66%) and 'muruadas' (41.66%), used to catch white shrimp (Litopenaeus schmitti), the main resource traded on the island (83.33%). All those interviewed reported a change in the size and weight of the catch in recent years (100%), and 75% attribute this to the types of trap used. Talks, films and booklets, as environmental education activities, contributed to community awareness. The population is familiar with the effects of fishing traps, and shows an interest in changing the situation.

From the Era of Easy Finance to Permanent Austerity

Chapter 3 covers the transition from the “era of easy finance” to the “era of permanent austerity,” when macroeconomic changes reinforced logics. The onset of stagflation across the developed world led to new and intense economic pressures on families. Most scholars of this period focus on the confusion policymakers faced as the Keynesian consensus broke down and they were forced to recalibrate monetary and fiscal policy. Policymakers also faced uncertainty in how to deal with inflation-induced erosion of tax and social benefits for families. In countries with family allowances, like Canada and the UK, policymakers and the public traced these pressures to the erosion of family allowances. Because the US had no family allowance, policymakers and the public instead traced these pressures to the erosion of dependent exemptions in the tax system. In doing so, they reinforced the dominant logic of appropriateness that lay behind policy responses to the problem of inflation in each country.

How did we get to where we are now?1

This chapter discusses the past and current state of the debate on the Citizen's Basic Income. It begins with the Poor Law of 1601 to the era of means-tested benefits. In particular, it cites William Beveridge's 1942 report which proposed a comprehensive system of National Insurance Benefits and centrally administered National Assistance. It then traces the origins of universal benefits in the UK, from Family Allowance to Child Benefit, and considers other failed proposals to reform the tax and benefits systems, including Tax Credits and attempts at a Citizen's Basic Income. It also explains why proposals such as ‘Universal Credit’ were and have been implemented, but not the proposal for a Citizen's Basic Income. Finally, it describes the National Health Service's (NHS) provision of universal, unconditional and nonwithdrawable healthcare and the global debate over the Citizen's Basic Income, and especially with respect to its feasibility and implementation.