1,720,964 research outputs found
“EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE DOING SOMETHING”: EXPLORING THE CONTRADICTIONS IN ONTARIO WORKS AND THE NORMATIVE EXPECTATIONS BEHIND THE WORK OF BECOMING ELIGIBLE, EMPLOYABLE AND EMPLOYED
Get PDFSince Ontario Works (OW) was implemented in 1998, the policy has been tinkered with including making changes in benefits and relaxing of some of the more punitive practices such as a life time ban for recipients convicted of fraud. However in OW, one ofOntario's social assistance programs, the requirement to participate in work or work preparation activities, remains relatively unchanged. Intended to end the supposed free riding of recipients, work for welfare continues to be an unwavering policy instrument despite findings that the policy is at best ineffective and at worst counterproductive in helping OW clients find and keep work (Lightman et al 2005, Little 2005, Peck 2001, Quaid 2002). Some scholars argue that administrative practices are maintained by the normative assumptions on which a policy stands (Fraser 1989, George and Wilding 2003, Plant et al. 1989). In order to investigate the normative underpinnings behind OW work, this study explored the literature on welfare state approaches. This review focused on the normative assumptions surrounding work that are engaged to diffuse and inculcate neoliberal imperatives and class and gender related codes of conduct connected to OW work. By conducting interviews with OW clients and staff, this study also examined the ways in which norms facilitate the administration of OW especially how internalized taken-for-granted ideas about work are leveraged by the policy. Gramsci’s notions of hegemony and common sense (Gramsci 2010) and Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, field and capital (Bourdieu 1989) were engaged as theoretical tools that might explain how taken-for-granted assumptions facilitate the administration of OW and the enforcement of workfare policies. The project found that the 'works' part of OW is comprised of 3 types of work: becoming eligible, employable and employed. A major contradiction that emerged during the investigation is that OW is focused on ensuring ongoing eligibility - not on employment. The administration of OW work engages with normative expectations surrounding work, welfare and gender that are connected to the contradictions in OW work. It is common sense ideas surrounding these normative expectations (such as the moral benefits of work) that maintain practices and reconcile contradictions. As well, a specific habitus (coach/gatekeeper) operates in OW which engages certain types of common sense ideas that align with normative expectations.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD
RECONCEPTUALIZING INCLUSIVE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN TORONTO
Get PDFThe City of Toronto has become synonymous with themes of culture and diversity. With close to one half of the city’s population now comprised of those born outside of Canada, Toronto represents a dynamic and exciting cultural mosaic. Yet, underneath this surface exist real disparities in health and well being for many newcomers and racialized communities. In addition to and because of such disparities, changes in the demographics of Toronto have led to challenges and questions involving the participation of such communities within the formal political realm. Much research to date has focused on issues of representation and the exercise of political franchise within such communities. As opposed to the formal political realm, the aim of this research is to better understand the substantive participation of newcomers and members of racialized communities in processes of government sponsored citizen participation at the municipal level by asking: what is the ability of this approach to policy making to meaningfully include a diverse range of voices? This question is important because it is decisions in this realm that most immediately impact residents of the city. Additionally, if social policy developers are to keep up with shifts in demographics and create inclusive and responsive policy, then consideration must be given to all community members. To understand the ability of government sponsored citizen participation to be inclusive of a diverse range of voices, a literature review was conducted. Also, an analysis of the case of the 2000-2001 Community Consultations on Social Development held in Toronto was undertaken. Finally, five interviews were held with policy practitioners within Toronto to gain insight into the ability of practices of government sponsored citizen participation to be inclusive. The findings of this research study highlight that political will and increased funding must be directed towards the purposeful inclusion of newcomers and racialized communities in processes of government sponsored citizen participation so as to foster increased experiences of inclusion and the creation of responsive and effective policies of social development.Master of Social Work (MSW
Illuminating Struggles for Gendered Responses: Practice with Women Offenders of Intimate Partner Violence
Get PDFThe Duluth Model of intervention for those charged with domestic violence offences has for the past thirty years been instrumental in conceptualizing violence, abuse, power and control, how to hold offenders accountable and keep victims safe, and is reflective of a collaborative, feminist approach to violence intervention. The model’s design assumes that violence is perpetrated by men against their female partners as a mechanism to maintain/gain power and control. However, increasing numbers of women are now being charged with violence against their male partners and being referred for service. Problematically, there has been little development of policies or formal practices that recognize the different meanings of women’s violence or the particularity of their programming needs so that service providers in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) treatment programs find themselves working with female offenders under a male model of violence. The purpose of this project was to engage in a critical feminist analysis of the resulting tensions, specifically to ask how conceptualizations of gender and violence undergird policy development and how, in Duluth-dominated programming approaches, service providers understand and respond to women’s needs. To explore these questions, I took a two-fold methodological approach: an analysis of the extensive literature on Partner Assault Response (PAR) programs and female offenders, using the concept of policy framing; and an online survey of service providers that explored dimensions of their work and that included questions incorporating the policy frame distinctions that emerged from the literature analysis. The policy frame analysis underscored the power of problem construction and shed conceptual light on the challenges of working under the Duluth model with women. Survey participants described those challenges in the, as yet, dimly lit front-lines of practice, as well as their engagements at times in creative, subversive program delivery to meet women’s needs. Future research drawing forward the seldom heard voices of women charged with violence will be critical, as will continued endeavours to fashion gender-specific, need-driven policy.Master of Social Work (MSW
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ONTARIO’S CROWN WARD REVIEW
Get PDFToday, performance measurements have become a part of the dominant discourse across public, private, and voluntary sectors. Ontario’s child welfare system is one sector that has been influenced and impacted, with sometimes unintended consequences, by this institutionalized process of performance measurements. One of the measurements is Ontario’s Crown Ward Review (Audit) conducted by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Annually, ministry officials who make up the Crown Ward Review Unit (CWRU) audit fifty-three child welfare agencies in Ontario, which take care of approximately 5400 Crown Wards (Ministry of Children and Youth Services, 2011). According to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (2011), the goal of the Crown Ward Review is “to determine that an adequate plan of care [has been] developed for each Crown Ward and is intended to stimulate improvement in the overall service delivery to children” (Ministry of Children and Youth Services, 2011). It appears to not only be about the welfare for Crown Wards, but also about organizational goals. In other words, measuring accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency, as well as to provide transparency of its services appears to be a priority. This research project examines how the performance measurements of the Crown Ward Review have impacted case management for Crown Ward workers and Crown Wards in care. A critical analysis of performance measurements reveals that, for the most part, they have created numerous unintended consequences for Crown Wards, workers, supervisors, managers, Children’s Aid Societies, and the child welfare system as a whole. Overall, the study supports that a more comprehensive, clear, and coherent review process needs to be established and implemented across Ontario’s child welfare system.Master of Social Work (MSW
An Exploration of Social Support Considerations for Substance Use Affected Ontario Works Recipients - Starting to Define the Backdrop
Get PDFSocial support is generally viewed in the addiction field as an important consideration in assessment and a potentially valuable component of a comprehensive treatment plan. The literature would suggest that strong social support can benefit individuals during many stages of the recovery process, including both active recovery and longer term maintenance. Less is known about social considerations in the initial stages of seeking support to begin recovery. This report seeks to explore social support considerations for a specific population, Ontario Works recipients who have identified substance use as a barrier to employment, and to do so in a hopefully reciprocal manner which values understanding context from those with lived experience. This qualitative study is informed by the principles of grounded theory in a general manner, began with no specific hypothesis, and allowed participants flexibility in their responses. Previously documented barriers facing this population were generally reflected by the circumstances revealed by this study’s participants. The principle findings outlined the lack of social supports currently in place for participants and their struggle to seek help. Seeking help appeared to require an emotional low point and a recognition that overcoming the substance use concern would not be realistic without additional help. Support seeking appears to be encouraged by specific nurturing characteristics of supporters. From a practice perspective the findings illustrated the need for increased focus on clinician/client engagement and a greater focus on practitioner’s appreciating the unique challenges facing this population and utilizing creative approaches to address them.Master of Social Work (MSW
NEOLIBERALISM AND CASE MANAGERS' TOOLS AT A FEDERAL PUBLIC SERVICE AGENCY
No full textAbstract Neoliberalism and the new managerialism have become entrenched in Canadian social policy. This paper is an examination of how neoliberal philosophy and the new managerialism are embodied in case managers’ tools. The setting for this research is Veterans Affairs Canada. Presently, Veterans Affairs Canada is in the process of transforming policy and practice. Veterans Affairs Canada has implemented a managerial business model as the foundation of its transformation initiative. This research examines how the ruling relations of the macro level have infiltrated the local practice of case managers. Institutional ethnography is utilized to examine the texts used by case managers. It is important to research the relationship between case managers’ tools and managerialism in order to understand impacts on the role, practice and discretion of case managers. Only by having a full understanding of the relationship between the underlying power structures of neoliberalism and managerialism can social workers fully appreciate the negative impacts to client service. Through this understanding, social workers can more effectively advocate for their clients and find ways to implement change.Master of Social Work (MSW
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