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The long-sought self-sufficiency goal of contemporary social welfare systems has been mostly elusive, even in developed countries. This paper presents a revised version of the Self-Sufficiency Framework as a pragmatic strategy for welfare reform, investigating how the current neoliberal approach centered on promoting employment (workfare) could be made more socially just and freedom-oriented. Thus, the framework proposed here accepts the central goal of promoting employment (self-sufficiency) at the core of current welfare systems, but complements that goal with a strong and non-stigmatizing welfare support package and with labor market reforms aimed at combating exploitative forms of employment. Furthermore, the proposed model emphasizes the need for financial inclusion, notably in the banking system and the mortgage industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From displacement to resettlement, Burmese refugees bear high disease burdens; first as forced migrants escaping conflict and then as second-class citizens in host countries like the United States. This relegation of refugee bodies to the margins upon resettlement, warrants an examination of the contradictions of the process as a humanitarian enterprise yet in violation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 of Reduced Inequalities, particularly through a health inequities lens. In the present study, the researcher conducted 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key stakeholders within the resettlement ecosystem of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana in the U.S., including Burmese community members, leaders, and health practitioners. Narrative data reveal an inverse relationship between the federally mandated metric of economic self-sufficiency (ESS) defined as job placement upon resettlement, and health self-sufficiency (HSS) defined as the ability to meaningfully engage with healthcare structures and resources. Participants articulate the precarious nature of such low-wage employment in predatory industries like meatpacking, requiring little to no language or vocational training and subjecting refugee employees to coercive practices including mandatory overtime. These practices are outlined as both dangerous to the health of employees and detracting from their time resources which would otherwise be allocated toward linguistic and vocational training—both required for socioeconomic mobility, as well as to meaningfully navigate labyrinthian healthcare structures. Faced with these structural constraints, Burmese community members demonstrate health self-sufficiency through a combination of treatment with over-the-counter (OTC) medications, traditional healing practices, and by activating familial and community networks as communal resources for accessing healthcare structures.

Abstract There is an urgent need to expand the scale and scope of refugee resettlement schemes, and yet country approaches to resettlement vary markedly and there is little cross-country learning from approaches and refugee experiences. In Japan, resettlement focuses on economic self-sufficiency through employment; whereas the UK, through Community Sponsorship volunteers, on providing social connections to facilitate integration. This paper explores the strengths and short-comings of each approach and examines the ways in which refugee resettlement programmes prioritising different integration domains might influence refugee experiences of integration more widely. Drawing on principles and domains set out in the Indicators of Integration Framework (Ndofor-Tah, C. Strang, A. Phillimore, J. Morrice, L., Michael, L., Wood, P., Simmons, J. (2019) Home Office Indicators of Integration framework 2019), insight is provided into the multi-dimensionality of integration and new understandings about the nature of social connections are offered. The findings highlight the context specific nature of integration policy and practice and underline the importance of a holistic approach. We conclude that resettlement initiatives might incorporate both employers and local communities working in collaboration to support newly arrived refugees but with some state involvement.

There is an urgent need to expand the scale and scope of refugee resettlement schemes, and yet country approaches to resettlement vary markedly and there is little cross-country learning from approaches and refugee experiences. In Japan, resettlement focuses on economic self-sufficiency through employment; whereas the UK, through Community Sponsorship volunteers, on providing social connections to facilitate integration. This paper explores the strengths and short-comings of each approach and examines the ways in which refugee resettlement programmes prioritising different integration domains might influence refugee experiences of integration more widely. Drawing on principles and domains set out in the Indicators of Integration Framework (Ndofor-Tah, C. Strang, A. Phillimore, J. Morrice, L., Michael, L., Wood, P., Simmons, J. (2019) Home Office Indicators of Integration framework 2019), insight is provided into the multi-dimensionality of integration and new understandings about the nature of social connections are offered. The findings highlight the context specific nature of integration policy and practice and underline the importance of a holistic approach. We conclude that resettlement initiatives might incorporate both employers and local communities working in collaboration to support newly arrived refugees but with some state involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is to investigate psychological self-sufficiency—the force within someone that activates cognitive and non-cognitive process of shifting perceived barriers into hope actions—as it relates to economic self-sufficiency among jobseekers with mental health barriers. Among a sample of 2455 low-income jobseekers in job readiness programs at six community-based agencies in Chicago, a subsample of 424 who self-identified as having mental illness barriers are selected to analyze the relationships between employment hope, employment barriers, and economic self-sufficiency using structural equation modeling. Results indicate that employment hope mediates the path between perceived employment barriers and economic self-sufficiency. The study further highlights the positive effects of employment barriers on employment hope among jobseekers with perceived mental illnesses. The findings support growing evidence that psychological self-sufficiency is positively associated with gaining economic self-sufficiency in workforce development programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the strengths and challenges of a microenterprise program developed for refugees in a city of the U.S. South region. By offering a microfinance loan of about $4,500 per client, the microenterprise program, run by a nonprofit resettlement agency (RA), hopes to provide economically poor and newly resettled refugees, who have no credit history with banks, with low‐interest loans and business training needed to get integrated into their new environment, become economically self‐sufficient, and contribute to the local economy. Nevertheless, the limited resources, dramatic shifts in new refugee policies, and the business, language and cultural integration skills that need to be learned by the newcomers present challenges that the microentrepreneurs and the RA are trying to overcome. Using semistructured interviews and ethnographic observations, information was collected from about three‐dozen in‐depth interviews between summer 2016 and spring 2017. Data from these interviews explicate the role of personal entrepreneurial agency and structural support by the RA. The study also highlights lessons learned by the RA and offers suggestions for the future. Thus far, most of the refugees who participated in the program have started microbusinesses that help them support their families and provide new services in the community where they live. They are also repaying their loans on time, in 95 percent of the cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers who feel having a legitimate mandate to carry the social justice core value of their profession must first grasp the depth and breadth of poverty. These workers must then comprehend the sociopolitical underpinnings of welfare policies intended to benefit their clients. This paper explored the scope of poverty in the United States; assessed antipoverty policies in relation to their failure to produce long-term self-sufficiency outcomes for recipients; and discussed two appropriate social work interventions – empowerment practice and social advocacy – for working with marginalized populations, including welfare recipients. It is concluded that, because the American welfare state is fundamentally flawed, people living in poverty may experience difficulties reaching their full potential if stranded for too long on the rolls of means-tested benefits. This paper proposed a self-sufficiency framework for poverty and social welfare stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing datasets provided by statistical agencies (e.g. Eurostat) show that the economic and financial crisis that unfolded in 2008 significantly impacted the lives and livelihoods of young people across Europe. Taking these official statistics as a starting point, the collaborative research project "Cultural Pathways to Economic Self-Sufficiency and Entrepreneurship in Europe" (CUPESSE) generated new survey data on the economic and social situation of young Europeans (18–35 years). The CUPESSE dataset allows for country-comparative assessments of young people's perceptions about their socio-economic situation. Furthermore, the dataset includes a variety of indicators examining the socio-economic situation of both young adults and their parents. In this data article, we introduce the CUPESSE dataset to political and social scientists in an attempt to spark a debate on the measurements, patterns and mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of economic self-sufficiency as well as its political implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined the impact of participation in federal means-tested welfare programs on the attainment and maintenance of economic self-sufficiency. Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), this quasi-experimental investigation compartmentalized 4216 low-income households into an intervention group (n = 2436) and a comparison group (n = 1780). Households in the intervention group received one or more welfare benefits for the most part of the 2008-2013 quinquennium. By contrast, those in the comparison group - although eligible for these benefits - did not receive them. The survey respondents were measured repeatedly over a 56-month period to assess whether welfare receipt impacts their household income steadily beyond 150% of the federal poverty level, after controlling for known predictors. Multivariate analyses displayed medium effect sizes indicating that participation in public assistance did decrease the likelihood of economic self-sufficiency. Macro-implications of these findings for poverty and social welfare stakeholders were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the early impact of a Local Self-Sufficiency (LSS) program of the Housing Authority of Champaign County (HACC), Illinois, on recipients’ total annual household income and earnings, and employment. In 2013, HACC, through LSS, mandated work requirements for households with working-age, able-bodied adult members and imposed sanctions on those who did not meet the program requirements. We find that, between 2012 and 2014, the LSS program led to an average increase of $2,283 in earnings for an individual household. In aggregate, this allowed HACC to serve an additional 98 (9%) LSS-eligible households for a year. Also, LSS-eligible households experienced an increase in the employment-adult ratio by 11.6 percentage points. The LSS program also had a larger impact for more economically disadvantaged households with no prior work history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature supports the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on women’s short and long-term material hardship; yet, little research has examined the role of civil legal services in addressing women’s economic self-sufficiency. Using survey data from a sample of low-income women seeking civil legal services related to IPV, we examined changes in women’s economic self-sufficiency over a one-year period of time. The sample consisted of women who were experiencing IPV and receiving assistance with a civil protective order (CPO) or a family law problem. Eighty-five women completed three waves of data collected, baseline and every six months, over a period of one year. Nearly two-thirds of the women received assistance for a CPO (n = 56); the rest were represented in a family law matter. Approximately 45% of women lived in non-metro/rural areas (n = 38). Measures of economic self-sufficiency included income, use of public assistance, adequacy of family resources, and perceptions of the difficulty living off their current income. Women’s monthly income and adequacy of some family resources increased, while difficulty living on their current income and the number of assistance resources used decreased (Wave 1 to 3). There was no relation between the type or amount of legal services received and changes in study outcomes. Study findings suggest that civil legal services are a critical component of a community coordinated response to IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Career readiness preparation is essential to successful employment outcomes for young people in foster care who are often disrupted in their vocational development as a consequence of their challenging life circumstances. Efforts by social service providers, however, to prepare young people in foster care for economic self-sufficiency have met with varying success. The purpose of this paper is to offer findings from a formative evaluation of Works Wonders, a career readiness program for young people in care, that contribute to the understanding of the factors that affect their career preparation, self-determination and work outcomes as they transition from foster care to the adult world of work. Works Wonders included a career club that provided the skills and knowledge to explore career options, prepare for a job search (e.g., preparing a resume, learning how to interview, drafting cover letter), conduct a job search and retain the job once secured (e.g., relational competencies important for being effective in the workplace.) The program also provided individual support around career planning, and hands-on work experiences. One hundred and eighty randomly selected young people between the ages of 14 and 21 who were in Rhode Island's foster care system or alumni of care were enrolled over five years. Interviews with young people and staff service records provided information about program engagement, career readiness, self-determination, and work status. Data were collected at enrollment, after completion of career club (about six months following enrollment) and 12 months following enrollment. Results support a significant relationship between career readiness and employment. Young people who completed the career club and participated in a hands-on work experience while in enrolled in the program were more likely to be working at follow-up compared to those that dropped out. Self-determination also increased for young people who completed the group compared to those who did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Participation which entails involvement in life situations and represents a higher level of functioning can be severely restricted after a stroke. This study investigated the impact of social support on participation of stroke survivors in Nigeria. Methods: Ninety-six community-residing stroke survivors were recruited from physiotherapy outpatient departments of two tertiary care hospitals in Northern Nigeria. Socio-demographic, clinical, participation (London Handicap Scale), and social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) data were obtained. The impact of social support on global and domain-specific participation was examined using bivariate analyses and multiple regression analyses. Results: Mean (SD) age of the stroke survivors was 56.6 (12.0) years. Social support was a significant (β = 0.41,p < 0.0001) and independent determinant of the economic self-sufficiency domain of participation (p < 0.0001) in a regression model that accounted for 27% of the variance in the domain (R2 = 0.27). Social support, however, had no independent effect on overall participation and the other participation domains namely mobility, physical independence, occupation, social integration, and orientation. Conclusion: The impact of social support was significant only in the economic self-sufficiency domain of participation with higher availability of social support related to better economic self-sufficiency. This finding provides additional information on the importance of social support post-stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Economic self-sufficiency has emerged as a policy goal of antipoverty programs in many nations. Although the policy direction of these programs is clear, the definition and measurement of economic self-sufficiency is not. This study revisits a scale that was designed in 1993 and has experienced a growth in use after two decades of little attention. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and bivariate correlations, the scale’s validity was tested with a sample of low-income survivors of intimate partner violence. The discussion focuses on how the resulting Scale of Economic Self-Sufficiency–14 (SESS-14) relates to policy, practice, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing evidence that youth aging out of the foster care system encounter substantial challenges in their transition to adulthood. Receipt of public assistance following discharge from care is one important indicator of the extent to which these youth experience economic difficulties, but prior research on the topic has a number of key limitations. Building on existing research, this study examines public assistance receipt following exit from care among a cohort of 7492 youth who were discharged from an out of home placement in Los Angeles County between 2002 and 2004 and who were aged 16 or above at their time of discharge. Results show that approximately 28% of youth in the study sample received either CalWORKs, which is California's version of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, or General Relief (GR), which is LA County's general assistance program for indigent adults, at some point over the study's follow-up period. Additionally, "crossover youth," who have a history of involvement in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems are more likely than their counterparts who were only involved in the child welfare system to receive both types of public assistance. Differences in the risk profiles for GR and CalWORKs receipt centered around gender, as males were far less likely to receive CalWORKs but more likely to receive GR. Findings from this study provide additional evidence that older youth who age out of or otherwise exit foster care struggle to achieve economic self-sufficiency and also suggest that crossover youth constitute a distinct sub-group of youth exiting foster care who should be targeted for specialized forms of assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Employment, career advancement, and financial independence are highly valued in the United States. As expectations, they are often instilled at a young age and incentivized throughout adulthood. Despite their importance, employment and economic sufficiency continue to be out of reach for most people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Over the last quarter century, extensive research and effort has been committed to understanding and improving these phenomena. This paper summarizes this employment research base by reviewing the literature on the effectiveness of the current employment support system, employment-specific interventions, and the economics and cost benefits of employment for people with IDD. Recommendations and directions for future research are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how to promote economic self-sufficiency, or the ability to sustain oneself financially, has important implications for programs that help support divorced and separated women and for government agencies hoping to reduce reliance on government aid. The following analysis focuses specifically on divorced and separated women utilizing services from agencies geared toward helping people with financial, career, and other forms of assistance. This study identifies factors that promote or hinder economic self-sufficiency among divorced women. Regression analysis indicates that age, economic self-efficacy, abuse, and difficulty living on income are important indicators of economic self-sufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural Development in Mizoram was severely slowed down and affected due to two decades of insurgency (1966-86) and grouping of villages as counter insurgency strategy. The grouping of villages has its permanent repercussions where post-grouping reconstruction measures were not initiated so as to suit the people and the area of the villages that grouped. Although various rural development initiatives were introduced and implemented during post-insurgency period, its impact on rural economy is minimal. The result is that approximately all villages and the State is not economically self-sufficient. The State still depends on almost all essential commodities from outside the state. The present paper focuses mainly on the impact of village grouping as counterinsurgency strategy and the post-independence rural development programmes initiated and its impact on rural Mizoram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the contributions of maternal labor force participation and marital status on economic self-sufficiency over time for rural mothers. Data were from 174 rural families participating in three waves of data collection in Rural Families Speak. χ 2 and multiple logistic regression were utilized. Results revealed only one-third of mothers moved toward economic self-sufficiency over three years. Maternal education, employment status, and weekly work hours were associated with improved economic well-being. Compared to single-parent families, unmarried-couple and married-couple families had increased odds of improving economically. In an analysis of all mothers with partners, married or unmarried, martial status was not significant in economic improvement. Findings suggest the role of marriage in welfare reform for rural families should be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aboriginals in Canada have a history of colonisation for over two hundred years. The European settlers used racist legislations to destroy their socio-cultural systems and suppress their efforts to build political organisations. The shift in policy of the Government of Canada is seen in the recognition of aboriginal rights to lands by the Supreme Court in 1973. This article deals with the emergence and growth of aboriginal business. It is based on secondary data generated at the government level, empirical studies conducted by Wanda Wuttunee and Yael Levitte, and interviews with twenty-four aboriginal business persons in Winnipeg city. It emphasises the significance of organisational characteristics of aboriginal communities, the social networks of their members, and the government policy on aboriginal business and entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study uses administrative data to examine the self-sufficiency of 8511 former foster youth who were discharged from Wisconsin''s out-of-home care system between 1992 and 1998 and were at least 16 years old at the time they were discharged. Three indicators of self-sufficiency were measured: employment, earnings and public assistance receipt. The youth were followed from the quarter in which they were discharged through the fourth quarter of 2000. Most were employed in at least one of the first eight quarters after their discharge, but relatively few had earnings in all eight. Quarterly earnings increased over time, but remained very low. Earnings were still below the poverty threshold even eight years post-discharge. Nearly one fifth of the youth received AFDC/TANF cash assistance in at least one of their first eight quarters after their discharge, and nearly one third received food stamps. Implementation of welfare reform was associated with a reduction in public assistance receipt, although other economic factors are also likely to have contributed to this downward trend. Relationships between these outcome measures and both the demographic characteristics and out-of-home care experiences of these former foster youth were examined using multivariate statistical techniques. The policy and practice implications of the findings are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Using a qualitative approach, this study explored the experiences of African American women in Milwaukee, WI as they transitioned from welfare to work and the barriers and challenges that impeded their movement to a position of economic self-sufficiency. The study also sought the perspectives of employers on their experiences with post-welfare African American women in the workplace. The study found three systems of barriers to impede the women’s progress. These barriers were the work-first philosophy and case management practices at the local level, labor market conditions and employment practices, and personal history and responsibility. These findings suggest that any reform effort must address both the personal and structural barriers that inhibit movement towards economic self-sufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the psychological and economic adaptation of Iraqi refugees, one of the increasing number of refugee groups resettling to this country in the 90s. Data were obtained from 105 Iraqi male refugees. The results revealed that Iraqi male refugees were struggling to resettle psychologically and economically in this country. The regression analyses confirmed that predictor variables (including social support, education level, and motivation for migration) significantly explained the variances in both the CES-D scale and income. In addition, this study found that the source of social support affecting economic adaptation was different from one affecting psychological adaptation. Implications for social work practice for Iraqi refugees were discussed at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social policymakers have begun to explore self-employment development, also known as microenterprise, as a route off welfare. With passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, it is important for social workers to understand the benefits and limitations of self-employment development so they can more effectively influence welfare reform in the states. This article examines the problems associated with pursuing self-employment as an option for achieving economic self-sufficiency and discusses the lessons learned from national studies of self-employment development programs. These studies suggest that self-employment can be an effective strategy for income generation and asset building for welfare recipients when the necessary supports are provided and policy barriers are removed. The potential impact of various approaches to welfare reform on self-employment is examined, and recommendations for increasing the viability of self-employment as a route out of poverty are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]