Social Research in
Other Countries - NGOs

La recherche sociale
ailleurs dans le monde - les ONG

Updated April 27, 2008
Page révisée le 27 avril 2008

[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]

World Development Report (World Bank)
- this link takes you further down on this page

Make Poverty History (International)

Make Poverty History (Canada) [Platform] - "...united by the common belief that poverty can be ended."
More Make Poverty History Links (further down on the page you're now reading)

Welfare reform - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Movements in many countries around the world push for welfare reform. Sizeable and powerful reform movements exist in the United States of America, Canada, Great Britain, and France among many others.
- incl. the following : * United States * The Welfare System and reform in Great Britain * The Welfare System and reform in France * References * External links

NIRA'S World Directory of Think Tanks
"The directory, a representative NIRA publication, is a comprehensive source of information, and has been used through the years by research institutions, corporate entities, and universities around the world."
- incl. links to 318 institutes from 89 nations

Source:
National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) - Japan
The National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) is an independent policy research body established on the initiative of leading figures from Japan's industrial, academic, labor and local government communities. NIRA was established in 1974 under the National Institute for Research Advancement Act and is funded through an endowment made up of capital contributions and donations from both the public and private sectors.

Also from NIRA:

Links to Think Tanks and Other Policy Research Resources - extensive international list
Includes Links to Think Tanks and Other Policy Research Resources in Canada

Newer links appear at the top of this page...
This page includes links to non-governmental organizations of every stripe, including the World Bank and other organizations that are not affiliated with the government (not in a formal sense, anyway...).

New content from Australian Policy Online - updated April 27, 2008
- this link takes you further down on the page you're now reading

Features and Challenges of Population Ageing:
The European Perspective - PDF file - 199K, 16 pages)
Author: Asghar Zaidi
Policy Brief
March 6, 2008
In this Policy Brief the issue of population ageing and its possible implications are sketched out.
It also discusses what public policy responses are required to deal with the challenges posed.
Source:
European Centre for Welfare Policy and Research

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008
The Power of Collaborative Innovation
23-27 January, Davos, Switzerland
The World Economic Forum is an independent, international organization incorporated as a Swiss not-for-profit foundation. We are striving towards a world-class corporate governance system where values are as important a basis as rules.

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
closes with call for a new kind of collaborative leadership
Press Release
Davos, Switzerland
27 January 2008
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 closed today with a call by business, government and civil society leaders for a new brand of collaborative and innovative leadership to address the challenges of globalization, particularly the pressing problems of conflict – especially in the Middle East, terrorism, climate change and water conservation

From Google.ca:
"World Economic Forum" Web Search
"World Economic Forum" News Search

World Social Forum 2008
The World Social Forum is an open meeting place where social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organizations opposed to neo-liberalism and a world dominated by capital or by any form of imperialism come together to pursue their thinking, to debate ideas democratically, for formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action.

World Social Forums have taken place at the end of January at different sites throughout the world each year for the past seven years, and their spirit will continue to be reflected in the activities planned at those same sites and worldwide in 2008.

NOTE: The World Social Forum (WSF) is an annual meeting held by members of the anti-globalization (using the term globalization in a doctrinal sense not a literal one) or alter-globalization movement to coordinate world campaigns, share and refine organizing strategies, and inform each other about movements from around the world and their issues. It tends to meet in January when its "great capitalist rival", the World Economic Forum is meeting in Davos, Switzerland. This is not a coincidence.
Source:
World Social Forum - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Google.ca:
"World Social Forum" Web Search
"World Social Forum" News Search

Links to World Social Forum related sites:

www.forumsocialmundial.org.br
Historical information site run by the Sao Paulo WSF office.
There you can find news, subscribe to the WSF newsletter, and read many articles about WSF events and process.

www.wsfprocess.net
First WSF process dedicated site. You can network here with over 1500 organisations and 4500 people, and form “groups” of people from various organisations, collaborating on “activities” and “proposals” for social change.
These can be linked to social forum events and can be publicized.

Links to Continental Social Forum Sites:

www.openesf.net
A new networking site for the European Social Forum process

The Canada connection:

Services for Business:
Canada at World Economic Forum 2008
January 25-26, 2008
City of Davos
Minister Emerson and Minister Bernier took part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Source:
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

International trends in housing and policy responses (PDF file - 1.2MB, 188 pages)
By Julie Lawson and Vivienne Milligan
December 2007
"This study provides a review of housing policies across an array of countries that have a similar level of economic development to that of Australia but have addressed housing questions in different ways. It aims to increase local understanding of international policy in housing, with a focus on social policies that intend to assist lower-income households to obtain appropriate and affordable housing, and to promote good ideas for policy action for consideration by Australian policy makers."
- incl. info on Canada’s intergovernmental agreements for social housing

More info about the International housing trends and policy responses project

More research themes
- incl. * Housing Policies and Programs * Housing Affordability * Indigenous Housing * Homelessness * Care and Support Services * Urban and Regional * Housing Markets * Research Theory and Practice

Source:
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute

- Go to the Homelessness and Housing Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/homeless.htm

Global Social Change Reports
Excellent resources - well worth a visit for anyone interested in major world demographic, social, political and communication trends over the last several decades.

- includes the following resources (among many others):
--- Basic Guide to the World: Quality of Life Throughout the World (PDF file - 228K, 34 pages) - December 2005
This describes world and regional trends in infant mortality rate, gdp per capita, literacy, freedom, and world and regional life satisfaction. An html version http://gsociology.icaap.org/report/cqual.html is a brief review of global quality of life, major trends and regional comparisons.
--- Basic Guide to the World: Population changes and trends, 1960 to 2003 (PDF file - 183K, 11 pages) - October 2005
Presents graphs and tables showing trends in world, regional population.
--- Basic Guide to the World: Economic Growth, 1970 to 2007 (PDF file - 140K, 16 pages) May 2007
Brief descriptions of trends in economic growth, world regional and for selected countries.
--- Major demographic trends - summary of main demographic trends of the past several decades; changes in population size, population growth, infant mortality rates, age distributions.
--- Major social trends - summary of main socio-demographic trends of the past several decades; changes in urbanization, education and ethnolinguistic fractionalization.
--- much more (major political trends, major economic trends, major technological trends: communication, energy production and consumption, context of change in the 21st century
- also includes free datasets, free online statistical tools, useful public domain and other free to use data, etc.

Source:
The Global Social Change Research Project
- links to online books, manuals and guides about evaluation and social research methods, such as surveys, observations, and others
- links to sites about data quality, statistical analysis, and free software such as statistical, office suites, spreadsheets and more.
- links to many sites with research or data about globalization, democracy and freedom and other related topics.

Australian Policy Online (APO)

APO Weekly Briefing
The content of this page changes each week, and it includes links to a few book/report reviews, about two dozen new reports, a few job ads and 60+ events (mostly conferences) of interest to social researchers...

Selections from recent issues of the APO Weekly Briefing:

Childcare : Families that work
Posted:12-03-2008
Deborah Brennan outlines a new agenda for parental leave and child care in Australia. This is the text of a lecture delivered on 6 March as part of So, What?, a series of public lectures in contemporary humanities and social sciences at the University of New South Wales.
- includes a critique of ABC Learning's control over daycare in Australia
Source:
Social Policy Research Centre (University of New South Wales)

2007 Longitudinal study of Australian children research conference
Posted 12-03-2008
Source:
Australian Institute of Family Studies
A number of presentations from this conference are now available on the Growing Up in Australia website. Topics covered included: Family structure, quality of the co-parental relationship, post-separation parenting and children’s socio-emotional wellbeing; Working families' use of child care; and Parent involvement and children’s early learning competence.

State tax reform: prospects and progress
Posted 12-03-2008
Robert Carling
Source:
Centre for Independent Studies
This paper identifies major structural flaws in Australia's current taxation system, and develops a set of proposals to put them right.

Making it work: promoting participation of job seekers with multiple barriers through the Personal Support Programme
Posted 25-02-2008
Daniel Perkins / Brotherhood of St Laurence
Personal Support Programme participants had somewhat higher levels of economic and social participation and less interference from barriers, according to this report. Although many elements of the PSP model are consistent with best practice overseas, two serious weaknesses are the lack of integrated employment support and the severely limited funding restricting access to specialist services for participants.

Housing assistance and employment
Posted 25-02-2008
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
Because housing is expensive, assisting low-income households with their housing costs is also expensive. This audio briefing discusses how best to make the case for change when resources are constrained.

Public housing rent policy in Australia and overseas
Posted 25-02-2008
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
This audio briefing presents the first comprehensive and comparative review of public housing rent policies in Australia and seven overseas countries, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Sustaining fair shares: the Australian housing system and intergenerational sustainability
Posted 25-02-2008
Judith Yates, Hal Kendig and Ben Phillips with Vivienne Milligan and Rob Tanton / Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
This report examines the intergenerational sustainability of Australia's system of housing assistance over the next 40 years - the same time period covered by the Howard government's Intergenerational Reports - under assumptions consistent with those made in those reports.

Housing assistance in Australia 2008
Posted 23-02-2008
David Wilson / Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
This report provides an overview of the types, extent and benefits of government assistance available to homeowners and renters as well as to people experiencing homelessness, and to specific population groups.

Adoptions Australia 2006-07
Posted 23-02-2008
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
This is the 17th report in the series, presenting the latest data on adoptions of Australian children and children from overseas, and highlights important trends in adoptions over the last three decades. Data are presented on all finalised adoptions recorded by the state and territory departments responsible for adoption, for 2006-07 year.

Year Book Australia, 2008
Posted 21-02-2008
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Year Book Australia provides a comprehensive statistical picture of the economy and social conditions in Australia. In addition, it contains descriptions of Australia's geography and climate, its population, the environment, government, international relations, defence, education, health, income and and welfare, housing and crime and justice.

Strengthening Aboriginal family functioning: What works and why?
Posted 21-02-2008
Roz Walker and Carrington Shepherd
Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse
Providing insights into the protective effects and risks that influence forms of functioning among Aboriginal families, this paper discusses the factors that support family harmony or contribute to dysfunction.

Prevention and early intervention in strengthening families and relationships: Challenges and implications
Posted 21-02-2008
Elly Robinson and Robyn Parker
Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse
This paper examines challenges and strategies associated with encouraging individuals to engage in prevention and early-intervention activities focusing on healthy relationships.

What are low ability workers to do when unskilled jobs disappear? Part 2: Expanding low-skilled employment
Posted 19-02-2008
Peter Saunders
Centre for Independent Studies
What is to be done for low-skilled, poorly-qualified Australians who, even in today’s booming economy, seem unable or unwilling to find jobs?

Welfare expenditure Australia 2005-06
Posted 13-12-2007
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
This report provides estimates of welfare expenditure in Australia for the period 1998-99 to 2005-06. In 2005-06 this expenditure totalled $90 billion, $61 billion being for cash benefits and the remaining $29 billion for welfare services.

Putting children first: improving responses to family homelessness
Posted 13-12-2007
Michael Horn and Lucinda Jordan / Melbourne Citymission
This project has sought to document the extent of family homelessness and the capacity of SAAP services to meet the current needs of families.

What are low ability workers to do when unskilled jobs disappear?
Part 1: Why more education and training isn’t the answer
Posted 13-12-2007
Peter Saunders / Centre for Independent Studies
Employers are reporting shortages of skilled labour, yet unskilled workers are sitting idle on welfare. Many commentators think both problems can be solved by more education and training, but this paper disputes this. The solution to the skills shortage lies in policies like delayed retirement and increased female participation in the workforce. The solution to unskilled joblessness lies in generating more unskilled employment argues Peter Saunders.

Working hours: a global comparison
Posted 09-12-2007
Robert Half International
This survey concludes that Australians continue to work longer hours and the great Aussie weekend may be a thing of the past. The report draws on the findings from an international workplace survey conducted in spring 2007.
[NOTE: this week's APO briefing includes links to two more studies on working hours in Australia.]

Australia's welfare 2007
Posted 06-12-2007
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
'Australia's welfare 2007' is the most comprehensive and authoritative source of national information on welfare services in Australia. Topics include children, youth and families; ageing and aged care; disability and disability services; housing for health and welfare; dynamics of homelessness; welfare services resources; and indicators of Australia's welfare.

Housing occupancy and costs, Australia, 2005-06
Posted 05-12-2007
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The number of homes that are owned outright by their occupants has decreased over the last decade, according to this ABS report. In 2005-06, just over a third (34%) of homes were owned outright by their occupants - down from 42% in 1994-95. Over the same time, the proportion of homes owned with a mortgage increased from 30% to 35%.

Adult literacy and life skills survey, summary results, Australia
Posted 05-12-2007
Australian Bureau of Statistics
There are fewer Australians with literacy assessed as being in the lowest category than there were a decade ago, according to this ABS survey. Approximately 17% (2.5 million) of people were assessed at the lowest prose literacy level (down from 20% in 1996), while 18% (2.7 million) were assessed at the lowest document literacy level (down from 20% in 2006).

The wellbeing of Australians: carer health and wellbeing
Posted 03-12-2007
Robert A. Cummins, Joan Hughes and others
Australian Centre on Quality of Life, Deakin University
This study finds that the carers group from the current AustralianUnity Wellbeing study has a lower personal wellbeing index than any of the other groups. While this finding alone is concerning enough, it is compounded by the sheer number of people who make up the sample.

The financial impact of welfare targeting in public housing
Posted 03-12-2007
Jon Hall and Mike Berry
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
Greater targeting of housing and greater access to concessional rents cost public housing authorities around $200 million in 2004-05 compared with the mid-1990s, according to this Research and Policy Bulletin.

Dynamics of work-limitation and work in Australia
By Umut Oguzoglu
Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research
Posted 15-11-2007
This paper examines the impact of self-reported work-limitation on the employment of the Australian working age population. Five consecutive waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey are used to investigate this relationship.

Election 2007: Family policy
By Janet Stanley and Brian Howe
Australian Review of Public Affairs
Posted 15-11-2007
Australia is still a country where life chances are unequal. This damages not only those children born into disadvantage, but society as a whole. Social policy reform is needed to improve the capabilities of disadvantaged and socially excluded Australian families. Janet Stanley and Brian Howe propose two key measures: structural adjustments around employment opportunities, and a considerable scaling up of secondary prevention programs which facilitate the well-being of children.

Election 2007: Indigenous policy - unfinished business
By Megan Davis
Australian Review of Public Affairs
Posted 15-11-2007
Indigenous peoples' support for and emphasis on the "rights agenda" has been shaped by history. The political and constitutional history of Australia is indelibly connected to the contemporary problems of Indigenous Australia: insecurity of rights and policy experiments. It is only when we negotiate unfinished business together, with nothing ruled out and ready to compromise, that we can move forward together as a nation.

Public housing: shifting client profiles and public housing revenues
By Jon Hall and Mike Berry
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
Posted 15-11-2007
This report documents and quantifies the recent historical impact of changing client profiles in South Australia and Victoria.

Health at a glance 2007: OECD indicators
Posted 15-11-2007
By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Progress in the prevention and treatment of diseases has contributed to remarkable improvements in life expectancy and quality of life in OECD countries in recent decades. At the same time, spending on health care continues to climb, consuming an ever-increasing share of national income: health expenditure now accounts for 9% of GDP on average in OECD countries, up from just over 5% in 1970.

Challenges in health and health care for Australia
By Bruce K Armstrong, James A Gillespie, Stephen R Leeder, George L Rubin and Lesley M Russell
The Medical Journal of Australia
Posted 13-11-2007
Our health system is stretched by an ageing population, the growing burden of chronic illness, and the increasingly outmoded organisation of our health services. Inequalities in health between our most and least advantaged citizens persist, and are the sentinels that remind us that there is no room for complacency, or for inertia in reforming our health care system.

The coming crisis of Medicare: What the Intergenerational Reports should say, but don’t, about health and ageing
By Jeremy Sammut
The Centre for Independent Studies
Posted 09-11-2007
This report outlines the combined impact of demographic trends toward ageing and the increasing costs of new high-tech medical technology on healthcare supply and demand in the future. As well as the implications for intergenerational conflict as the baby boomers begin to expect Generations X and Y to bare the tax burden for their care.

Dentistry, deprivation and poverty
Posted 07-11-2007
Peter Saunders / Australian Review of Public Affairs
By not providing an adequate and affordable public dental scheme, Australian governments have made what should be a relatively minor irritant (a toothache) into a major catastrophe for many people, not just those who are already doing it tough writes Peter Saunders.

Inequality in oral health in Australia
Posted 07-11-2007
John Spencer and Jane Harford / Australian Review of Public Affairs
Inequality in oral health in Australia has been extensively documented over the last 25 years. While the existence of inequalities has been accepted, their fundamental character has been less well understood. This has led to a misinterpretation of the information on inequalities and a failure to act on their causes. Some new research on patterns of oral disease and treatment means we now have what we need to inform rational and humane policy development in the field of oral health.

Too big to ignore - A report on future issues for Australian women's housing 2006-2025
Posted 07-11-2007
Selina Tually, Andrew Beer and Debbie Faulkner / AHURI Southern Research Centre
This report considers the future of housing for women in Australia and looks both at current patterns and emerging trends in order to paint a picture of Australian women in 2025 and the housing they will occupy; with respect to the types of dwellings in which they will live in, how much they may pay for their housing, their tenure arrangements and their household structure.

America on the edge: The US housing crisis and interest rates
Posted 07-11-2007
John Spoehr / The Adelaide Review
In this exclusive interview with John Spoehr, former US Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, Professor Robert Reich talks about the US housing crisis, jobs and inequality, and the Presidential race.

The risk society: social democracy in an uncertain world
John Quiggin
Posted 18-07-2007
John Quiggin examines the role of government as the ultimate risk manager. He argues that risk will be the defining concept of the 21st century, the way that globalisation was for the 1990s.
Source:
Centre for Policy Development

Voluntary work, Australia, 2006
Australian Bureau of Statistics
5.2 million people (34%) of the Australian population aged 18 years and over participate in voluntary work, contributing 713 million hours to the community across diverse activities according to this ABS survey. Posted 18-07-2007

Governing work life intersections in Australia over the life course: policy and prospects
Barbara Pocock
Posted 18-07-2007
This paper from the 2007 Australian Social Policy Conference examines the current situation of Australians as they put together their work and larger lives, under a particular policy regime. Pocock argues that an ethic of care needs to accompany Australia's well developed ethic of work, and that new arrangements are necessary to govern their simultaneous realisation.
Source:
Centre for Work+Life, University of South Australia

Mothers and fathers with young children: paid employment, caring and wellbeing
Jennifer Baxter, Matthew Gray, Michael Alexander, Lyndall Strazdins and Michael Bittman
Posted 16-07-2007
This paper examines how the use of child care, the time parents spend with children, and parental wellbeing relate to parental employment.
Source:
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Australia)

Work, life and time: the Australian work and life index 2007
Barbara Pocock, Natalie Skinner and Philippa Williams
Posted 12-07-2007
Work affects most working Australians beyond the workplace. Over half employees surveyed find that work sometimes, often or almost always affects their activities beyond the workplace (52.6% of the total) and even more find it regularly keeps them from spending the amount of time they would like with family or friends (60.7%).
Source:
Centre for Work+Life, University of South Australia

Revitalising health reform - time to act: discussion paper
Posted 19-09-2007
The Australian Institute of Health Policy Studies has commissioned this discussion paper to encourage broad community debate and, importantly, action on reform of Australia’s health care system. This report demonstrates that, all too often, existing processes for health system reform are ineffective. It documents the 'unfinished business' on health system reform since 2000.
Australian Institute of Health Policy Studies

The taxation of couples
Patricia Apps and Ray Rees / Centre for Economic Policy Research, Australian National University
Posted 19-09-2007
This paper discusses how a simple model of household production can be used to help the analysis of optimal taxation and tax reform, and to put the conventional wisdom - which says that it is optimal to tax women on a separate, lower tax schedule than men - on a firmer basis.

Take a bow, Brian Howe
Posted:17-09-2007
Child poverty fell significantly between 1985 and 1995, reports NICHOLAS GRUEN, and the gains have persisted under John Howard

Affordability is about renters, too
Posted:14-09-2007
The housing debate often ignores the two million who rent, writes KATH HULSE

Supporting the housing of people with complex needs
Michael Bleasdale / Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
Posted 14-09-2007
This report focuses on the issue of providing housing and support to people with complex needs, specifically people with physical disability, people with intellectual disability, and people with mental illness.

Subscribe!
Sign up to receive APO's Weekly Briefing by email --- just enter your email address in the box on the left-hand side of the home page of the APO website (the link below).

Source:
Australian Policy Online (APO)
With nearly 120 member centres and institutes, Australian Policy Online offers easy access to much of the best Australian social, economic, cultural and political research available online.
NOTE: the APO home page includes links to the five most popular reports on the APO website, and this list is updated each week

===>Keep scrolling down the page you're now reading for more APO links.

Working on welfare (United Kingdom)
September 2007
'Working on welfare' examines the role work and tax incentives play in promoting employment and reducing poverty. At present, the Labour government will miss its target of eradicating child poverty by 2020, and more people are economically inactive than a decade ago. Drawing on experience from the UK and the US, the report argues that tackling poverty in Britain depends on placing a greater focus on employment. To this end, it recommends increasing the use of both 'carrots' and 'sticks'.

Complete report:

Working on welfare (PDF file - 2MB, 45 pages)
Jennifer Moses
Mark Bell

Source:
CentreForum is an independent, liberal think-tank seeking to develop evidence based, long term policy solutions to the problems facing Britain

Addressing housing affordability: a 5-point plan for the next 10 years
Posted 30-08-2007
Source: Australians for Affordable Housing
This plan for housing affordability outlines a series of proposals, including a government-operated shared equity scheme for first homebuyers and extend the First Home Owners Grant into a mortgage assistance payment, increased investment in public and community housing by private financiers, investors, developers and government, and planning reforms to ensure affordable housing requirements for new developments.

Australia slipping behind other rich nations
News Release
August 30, 2007
A new Australia Fair report shows that the number of Australians living in poverty has increased over the past 10 years. Using an international poverty line of 50% of median income, the numbers increased from 7.6% to 9.9% of the population between 1994 and 2004, or nearly 2 million Australians.

Complete report:

A fair go for all Australians:
International Comparisons, 2007 (PDF file - 1.7MB, 60 pages)
"... looks at how Australia compares with other OECD nations [including Canada]. The report examines 10 areas such as health, education, housing and work, which were identified by the Australian public as essential to ensure a fair go for all Australians. The report compares Australia’s economic performance with that of other OECD nations, outlines the latest research on the number of Australians living below poverty lines and identifies where Australia is falling behind other nations in realising a fair go for all its people.

Source:
Australia Fair
"Australia Fair is a new national initiative which gives ordinary people the chance to talk about “the fair go for all” in Australia. Australia Fair is supported by many organisations providing services to well over 4 million
Australians. Australia Fair seeks to draw together organisations and individuals concerned about issues of fairness and is currently inviting their involvement in its presentation to the general public." [Excerpt from About Australia Fair]

The Community Tool Box
"Our goal is to support your work in promoting community health and development.
The Tool Box provides over 7,000 pages of practical skill-building information on over 250 different topics. Topic sections include step-by-step instruction, examples, check-lists, and related resources. "
Source:
Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, University of Kansas
Recommended by:
Tim Aubry, Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services (University of Ottawa)

APO Weekly Briefing ===> the content of this link changes each week
The content of this page changes each week, and it includes links to a few book/report reviews, about two dozen new reports, a few job ads and 60+ events (mostly conferences) of interest to social researchers...
Source:
Australian Policy Online (APO)
With nearly 120 member centres and institutes, Australian Policy Online offers easy access to much of the best Australian social, economic, cultural and political research available online.
NOTE: the APO home page includes links to the five most popular reports on the APO website, and this list is updated each week.

Selected content from recent issues of the APO Weekly Briefing:

Indigenous health:
Saving children's lives is a matter of long-term will
Posted:07-08-2007
You can't protect children without supporting and involving their community, argues Fiona Stanley, director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.

A rising tide? Income inequality, the social safety net and the labour market in Australia
Ann Harding, Quoc Ngu Vu and Alicia Payne / National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM - Canberra)
Posted 09-08-2007
In 1996 Australia elected a new Liberal government, ending 13 years of rule by the Australian Labor Party. The decade since has been marked by strong economic growth and prosperity, along with substantial changes in social and labour market policy. This paper highlights some of the key shifts in the social policy landscape over the period and assesses the outcomes for income inequality, poverty, income redistribution and earnings.

Life expectancy, ageing, disability and demand for disability services
Xingyan Wen / Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Posted 07-08-2007
This paper from the 2007 Australian Social Policy Conference re-examines the trends in expected years of life lived with disability over a period of 15 years (from 1988 to 2003) using the latest available data. It then gives estimates of current levels of unmet demand for specialist disability services, and presents data and commentary relating to projected future demand.

At home in the world: the moral and political language of homelessness
Andrew Hollows / RMIT University and Hanover Welfare Services
Posted 07-08-2007
Inspired by the political theorist Hannah Arendt, this paper from the 2007 Australian Social Policy Conference poses the question: what does it mean to think morally and politically about homelessness? Recent research by Hanover Welfare Services confirms how moral judgements about homelessness continue to be informed by a stereotypical focus on individual attribution and responsibility.

Australian social policy 2006
Posted 31-07-2007
Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
The latest edition of this annual departmental includes articles on trends in wealth among aged pensioners; potential risk factors, pathways and processes associated with childhood injury; men's and women's fertility; and psychosocial factors and intergenerational transmission of welfare dependency.

Approaches to evaluation of affordable housing initiatives in Australia
Posted 27-07-2007
Vivienne Milligan, Peter Phibbs, Nicole Gurran, Kate Fagan / Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
The release of the Framework for National Action on Affordable Housing (the Framework) in 2005 has provided an opportunity to consider how evaluation could be built from the outset into a major future initiative in the housing field. In response, this report first provides an overview of ideas and developments in evaluation theory and methods, drawing mainly on a recent proposal by two sociologists, Ray Pawson and Nick Tilley (1997).

Understanding the drivers of poverty dynamics in Australian households
Hielke Buddelmeyer and Sher Verick / Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research
Posted 25-07-2007
A range of household head, partner and demographic characteristics in addition to life-changing events have an impact on both the likelihood of remaining poor and slipping into poverty according to this analysis of the HILDA survey.

Family carers and mental illness
SANE Australia
Posted 25-07-2007
Research by SANE Australia shows 56% of people caring for someone with mental illness find their physical and mental health suffer as a result of their caring role. Alarmingly, 70% of carers report having received no relevant training or education, and due to lack of availability more than half have not accessed support services of any kind. One in four carers experience mental illness themselves.

Ten policy principles for a national system of early childhood education and care
Work + Family Policy Roundtable
Posted 09-07-2007
Australia needs a new nationally coordinated, planned approach to an integrated system of early childhood education and care is the concensus of a national workshop on childcare held in 2006.

Australia, France and the United Kingdom: helping youth into the labour market: a community responsibility to maintain social cohesion?
Sophie Koppe / University of Bordeaux
Posted 24-07-2007
This paper from the 2007 Australian Social Policy Conference looks at how these three countries view the obligations young people have to fulfil to be considered as good citizens and the suggestion that they are a potential threat to community building.

Related link:

Building Community Capacity and Social Resilience
11-13 July 2007
University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia
The 2007 conference has now taken place.
Full Program - includes the program and links to paper abstracts and many complete papers that are available for download
The theme for the 2007 conference was 'Social Policy through the Life Course: Building Community Capacity and Social Resilience'. This theme encapsulates two interrelated issues in social policy. The first concerns life-course transitions, including the diverse challenges and opportunities which people experience within their age, gender, social, economic and cultural contexts. The second focuses on identifying the interconnections between social investment policies, services and programs which build both community capacity and social resilience for individuals situated within their social networks.
Source:
Social Policy Research Centre
(University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia)

The contradictions of 'reform'
Posted 03-07-2007
Martin Leet / Brisbane Line
Policy proposals, nowadays, are unlikely to survive for long unless wrapped up in the rubric of 'reform'. Martin Leet explores why reform has become such an obsession in public policy and considers whether its days might be numbered.

No vagrancy: an examination of the impact of the criminal justice system on people living in poverty in Queensland
Posted 03-07-2007
Tamara Walsh / University of Queenland
This report investigates the extent to which people living in poverty interact with, and are affected by, the workings of the criminal justice system in Queensland.

No home and criminal justice: therein lies the rub
Posted 03-07-2007
Greg Mackay / Brisbane Line
In well-developed, democratic countries such as our own, we have long won the battle of establishing formal political and legal equality for all. However, as Greg Mackay points out, the struggle of making this equality an everyday reality for many people in our society is far from over.

Becoming a mother
Posted 03-07-2007
Key Centre for Women's Health in Society
The Becoming a Mother project investigated how becoming a mother impacted on young women’s experience of homelessness.

OECD family database
Posted 02-07-2007
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has developed this online database on family outcomes and family policies with indicators for all OECD countries. The first batch of indicators was released by the end of 2006, but work is ongoing on the preparation of new indicators for release throughout 2007.

APO Archive
The APO archive is grouped into 23 subject areas, with entries appearing in reverse chronological order.
* Ageing *Asia and the pacific * Citizenship and the law * Disability * Economics and trade * Education * Employment and workplace relations * The environment * Foreign policy and defence * Gender and sexuality * Health * Housing * Families and households * Immigration and refugees * Income, poverty and wealth * Indigenous * Media, communications and cultural policy * Politics and government * Population, multiculturalism and ethnicity * Religion and faith * Rural and regional * Science and technology * Social policy * Urban and regional planning * Youth

Global Knowledge Partnership: Online Interactions
Formed through a worldwide partnership that includes the United Nations and a host of other international organizations, the Global Knowledge Partnership was created to apply knowledge and technology to address development issues in areas like poverty reduction and access to knowledge. To facilitate the exchange of ideas in these areas, the Partnership has created this Online Interactions site. Here, visitors can look over various blogs, podcasts, and video forums that focus in on these themes. Visitors can start by looking through the “Latest videos” area, which features everything from “What is Web 2.0 Explained in under 5 minutes” to a video on robotics programs in Costa Rica. Visitors can also search the site’s contents and sign up to receive RSS feeds of material as it is posted to the site.
Reviewed by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007

Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) Working Papers series
- links to 461 working papers from the Luxembourg Income Study, dating from July 1985 to May 2007
HINT: click the link above and then, on the next page, click the "Send" button in the bottom left corner of the page if you want to see all 461 studies, or narrow your search down to a specific author, year of publication, keyword and/or country and then click "Send".

Here's a subset of the above:

LIS Working Papers including Canada
- links to 237 working papers that include or mention Canada

---

Luxembourg Wealth Study Working Papers
- links to four papers released from August to November 2006

The Luxembourg Income Study
NEWSLETTER
Volume 17 Number 1 Winter 2007 (PDF file - 225K, 12 pages)
February 2007
Table of contents:
Director’s Column * New Staff * 2006/2007 LIS Summer Workshops * Belgian Workshop Summary * 2006 Visiting Scholars * Update on the Luxembourg Wealth Study * 2006 Staff Presentations & Meetings * Upcoming Local Workshops * Local Advisory Board Meeting Update * Grants for Visiting Scholars * Call for Papers * New Working Papers * In the Press/ Where They’ve Turned Up * Staff Directory
[ Earlier issues of the newsletter - links to 13 issues back to December 1998]

Source:
Luxembourg Income Study

OECD and international organisations to develop
new approach to measuring progress of societies
02-Jul-2007
The OECD is to work with other international organisations and partners to develop a new approach to measuring how societies are changing by using high quality, reliable statistics to assess progress in a range of areas affecting citizens’ quality of life.

Related link:

Second OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy
Istanbul, 27-30 June 2007
The second OECD World Forum debated a wide variety of issues, from ageing populations to new technology and from climate change to immigration.
"...a unique opportunity for in-depth discussions about the measurement of progress, as well as some of the most important concerns facing the world, such as climate change, health and economic globalisation."

Draft Agenda (PDF file - 334K, 8 pages)
NOTE: this agenda includes links to almost 100 papers and Powerpoint presentations from this forum
- highly recommended reading --- something for everyone!

Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Related link:

Measuring what counts to society
July 05, 2007
Roy Romanow
Around the world, a consensus is growing about the need for a more holistic way to measure societal progress – one that accounts for more than just economic indicators such as the Gross Domestic Product and takes into account the full range of social, environmental and economic concerns of citizens.
Source:
The Toronto Star

From Australian Policy Online:

Globalisation, jobs and wages
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Posted 21-06-2007
Open trade and investment policies can be a powerful force for raising living standards. But while trade raises overall income and welfare, some workers may lose from globalisation. It is timely to reassess whether there is anything about the current phase of globalisation which could increase the vulnerability of workers and, if so, how governments should react. This Policy Brief summarises the main lessons.
- incl. links to the complete report, the website of the OECD and related links from APO

Guidelines for the design of remote Indigenous community housing
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
Posted 21-06-2007
A response to the need for a flexible framework of design guidelines for remote Indigenous housing. The project provides concepts and design principles to supplement the focus on safety, health, quality control and sustainability in the National Indigenous Housing Guide and related State and Territory guidelines, with principles for the design of Indigenous housing that reflect the cultural and social requirements of Indigenous communities in remote Australia.

Working Time Arrangements, Australia, Nov 2006
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Posted 21-06-2007
In November 2006, there were 8.6 million employees aged 15 years and over. Of these, 92% (8 million) were employees. Of these 60% did not have any say in their start and finish times, 72% could choose when their holidays were taken, and 38% were able to work extra hours in order to take time off according to this ABS study.

How Australian families spend their time
Australian Institute of Family Studies
Posted 21-06-2007
Social, economic and technological change has altered the way in which families spend time together. This fact sheet discusses these trends.

Government benefits, taxes and household income, Australia, 2003-04
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australia's low income households received more cash benefits from the government than higher income households, while indirect benefits (provided in kind) were more evenly distributed, according to this ABS study. Posted 14-06-2007

Federal politics: web scrubbing
By Kellie Tranter, New Matilda
Posted: 12-06-2007
Governments around the world are using their websites to rewrite history - or 'webscrubbing' writes Kellie Tranter. Whilst the internet has allowed instant access to a vast amount of information, it also allows governments (and companies) retrospectively to edit embarrassing information from their websites and out of public view.
"Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct; nor was any item of news, or any expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record. All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary." (1984, George Orwell)
Source:
New Matilda
New Matilda is an independent website of news, opinion and analysis. New Matilda offers a vibrant mix of views and voices. We actively seek out new and in-depth perspectives to broaden the political debate.

Google.ca Web search result : Web scrubbing"

NOTE: I've ranted about web scrubbing on many occasions in my site and in my newsletter. I've played out the following scene at least a few hundred times: I find a valuable online resource, perhaps an historical welfare stats collection or some other useful file, so I link to it in my site and include it in my newsletter. A few months later, the government department or NGO is re-launched with a "fresh new look" and fresh new content --- and no more historical info because the new web team didn't see any use for the old info...
Argh.
Luckily, there *is* a recourse: the Internet Archive - where you'll find (in a small box near the top of the page) the Wayback Machine. Enter a URL of the vanished or altered site and, in most instances, you'll have access to snapshots of earlier versions of the entire website (including most, but sadly not all, files). You can spend a lot of time exploring the Internet Archive collections, but the Wayback Machine alone is worth the visit.

For more info on the Wayback Machine, go to
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/reference.htm

What women want
National Foundation for Australian Women
Under the WorkChoices industrial relations system, women's pay compared with men has deteroriated since WorkChoices was introduced, regardless of their occupation or education status, and includes professional and managerial women as well as those in lower paid, less skilled work.
Posted 08-06-2007

Pensions at a glance 2007
OECD
People in OECD countries will have to save more for their retirement as a result of the major pensions reforms carried out in recent years, according to this report. The average pension promise in 16 OECD countries studied was cut by 22 per cent. For women, the reduction was 25 per cent.
Posted 08-06-2007

Amnesty International Report 2007: the state of the world's human rights
Amnesty International
In Amnesty International's 2007 report on the state of the world's human rights the Australian government is one of the countries singled out for criticism for adopting 'the politics of fear' in relation to asylum seekers. Additionally Australia's refugee policies, violence against women and the counter-terrorism measures were areas highlighted as concerns. Posted 07-06-2007

Source:
APO Weekly Briefing
[ Australian Policy Online (APO) ]

Chronic Poverty Updates
- incl. links to the following updates:
* 5 Key Points for the 2005 Summit (September 2005) * Making chronic poverty history (July 2005) * Opportunity is not enough (September 2003) * The lost millions (July 2002)

Source:
Chronic Poverty Research Centre (U.K.)
CPRC is an international partnership of universities, research institutes and NGOs established in 2000 with initial funding from the UK's Department for International Development.Chronic Poverty Research Centre -

CPRC Resources - incl. links to : Working Papers - Special Journal Issues - Books, reports and other publications - Policy Briefs - CPRC Conference Papers - Methods Toolbox - Bibliographic Database - Chronic Poverty Updates

State of the World's Mothers 2007:
Saving the Lives of Children Under 5

A Mothers Day Report Card: The Best And Worst Countries to Be a Mother
Sweden tops list, Niger ranks last, United States ranks 26th, tied with Hungary
May 8, 2007— Save the Children, a U.S.-based independent global humanitarian organization, today released its eighth annual Mothers’ Index that ranks the best — and worst — places to be a mother and a child and compares the well-being of mothers and children in 140 countries, more than in any previous year.

Egypt Makes the Most Progress and Iraq the Least In Reducing Child Deaths, Report Finds
Millions of Children Still Dying Each Year Despite Availability of Proven, Low-Cost Interventions that Could Save Their Lives

Special Features from the Report

Download the complete report (PDF file - 2MB, 70 pages)
[Canada? Number 15.]

State of the World's Mothers Reports
Every year, the State of the World's Mothers report reminds us of the inextricable link between the well-being of mothers and that of their children. Seventy-five years of on-the-ground experience has demonstrated that when mothers have health care, education and economic opportunity, both they and their children have the best chance to survive and thrive. Each year a different issue that impacts mothers and their children is highlighted.
- incl. links to annual reports for 2007 back to 2000

Source:
Save the Children
"Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world."

World Bank PovertyNet Newsletter #101, April 2007
02 May 2007

In this issue:

1. IMF-World Bank Global Monitoring Report
2. Analysing Pro-Poor Growth
3.Earth Day 2007
4. New Research on the Urbanization of Global Poverty
5.Migration and Development Conference, May 23-24, Washington DC
6. Registration for the 2007 Global Development Marketplace: Now Open -- Spread the Word!

Source:
PovertyNet Newsletter - from The World Bank
The PovertyNet Newsletter is a monthly newsletter that contains updates on new information and resources available on the PovertyNet web site, covering:
* Poverty Reduction Strategies * Pro-Poor Growth and Inequality * Poverty Analysis * Poverty Monitoring * Impact Evaluation * Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) * Empowerment

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2007
The Shifting Power Equation
24-28 January, Davos, Switzerland
- incl. links to : Programme * Selected Participants * Partners * Issues in Depth * Webcasts & Podcasts * WorkSpace * Open Forum * FAQs

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2007 – Enlarging the Davos Conversation
9 January 2007
News Release
Geneva, Switzerland
The World Economic Forum will be using new Web applications to extend the discussions at the Annual Meeting 2007 to a much wider audience. Held under the theme The Shifting Power Equation, the debates and discussions at the Meeting will be open to the general public via traditional broadcast channels, but also via webcasts, podcasts and for the first time, vodcasts. Internet users can field questions to participants via blogs and videoblogs and selected participants will be interviewed live in the virtual world of Second Life. As in previous years, all participants are encouraged to take part in the Forum’s blog to participate in the Davos Conversation – and this year a range of bloggers will contribute their thoughts to the discussions.

Programme
Session summaries
World Economic WebLog

Google Web Search Results:
"World Economic Forum"
Google News Search Results:
"World Economic Forum"
Source:
Google.ca

-------------------------------------------

World Social Forum Nairobi 2007
20-25 January, 2007
Nairobi, Kenya
The 7th edition of the World Social Forum brings the world to Africa as activists, social movements, networks, coalitions and other progressive forces from Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Europe and all corners of the African continent converge in Nairobi, Kenya for five days of cultural resistance and celebration.Panels, workshops, symposia, processions, film nights and much much more; beginning on the 20th of January and wrapping up on the 25th of January 2007.
- incl. links to : * about * venue * transportation * services * accommodation * visa * faq * invitation

Final program for WSF2007

Google Web Search Results:
"World Social Forum"
Google News Search Results:
"World Social Forum"
Source:
Google.ca

NOTE: use Ctr+F to find earlier occurrences of the World Economic Forum and World Social Forum on this page

Resources for Evaluation and Social Research Methods
http://gsociology.icaap.org/methods/
- links to online books, manuals and guides about evaluation and social research methods, such as surveys, focus groups, and so on, as well as links to sites about presenting data, and free software
such as statistical, office suites, spreadsheets and more.

Global Social Change Research Project
http://gsociology.icaap.org
- includes World Social Change reports, which are reviews of major world economic, demographic, social, and political changes and data used to develop the reviews, and a review of theories of change; also includes links to web sites with theory, research and data on global social, political and economic change.

From the United Kingdom:

Government Social Research Bulletin
- for the month up to 13 November, including the latest GSR news, updates on Continuing professional development, Forthcoming research, Research outputs, plus a Website of the month feature.
Source:
Research News
[ Government Social Research: Analysis for Policy (U.K.) ]

From Australia:

Australian Policy Online
- incl. links to : Reports from APO members * Government reports * Reports from other sources
- also includes calls for papers and a large list of conferences
- APO is maintained by the Institute for Social Research at Swinburne University of Technology

Aid initiative launched at poverty conference
November 09, 2006
Amid the staggering data on child poverty and disease reeled off at the Montreal Millennium Promise Conference, one Canadian aid initiative stood out for its simplicity: $10 bednets to prevent the spread of potentially deadly malaria in Africa. Belinda Stronach, MP for Newmarket-Aurora, satirist Rick Mercer, and UNICEF Canada launched the Spread the Net campaign on Thursday at the day-long child poverty conference at the Palais des Congrès.
Source:
Montreal Gazette

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spread the Net Campaign - Bednets Against Malaria
The goal: to cover Africa in blue bednets and stop death by malaria.
Who is Spread the Net?
You are.
It’s your friends, your gang, your posse, your colleagues, your brother, your aunt, your rival, your girlfriend, your teacher, your idol.
It’s Belinda Stronach and Rick Mercer; national co-chairs stepping up to the plate and spearheading this amazing cause.
It’s Unicef Canada.
It’s all Canadians.
It’s children in Africa.

From Google.ca:
"Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007" Web Search
"Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007" News Search

Intute - U.K.
"Intute is a free online service providing access to the very best web resources for education and research. All material is evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists to create the Intute database."
- includes portals to : Science and Technology - Arts and Humanities - Social Sciences (see below) - Health and Life Sciences

Intute: Social Sciences
- includes links organized under the following headings:
Anthropology - Business and Management - Economics - Education - Environmental Sciences - European Studies - Government Policy - Hospitality and Catering - Human Geography - Law - Politics - Psychology - Research Tools and Methods - Social Welfare - Sociology - Sport and Leisure Practice - Statistics and Data -Travel and Tourism -Women's Studies

Where the Poor Are: An Atlas of Poverty
"Since Charles Booth produced his remarkably detailed maps depicting inequality in Victorian London, poverty maps have been used to inform policy. But not until recently have high-resolution maps become available, making it possible to interpret and apply poverty maps in creative new ways to better understand poverty and improve policy making on behalf of the poor. Where the Poor Are: An Atlas of Poverty brings together a diverse collection of maps from different continents and countries, depicting small area estimates of vital development indicators at unprecedented levels of spatial detail. The atlas is a product of the CIESIN Global Poverty Mapping Project, begun in 2004, which was made possible by support from the Japan Policy and Human Resource Development Fund, in collaboration with The World Bank. The atlas of 21 full-page poverty maps reveals possible causal patterns and provides practical examples of how the data and tools have been used, and may be used, in applied decisions and poverty interventions."

Click the link above - on the next page you can choose whether to download the entire Atlas in one whopping 26MB PDF file, or in the following smaller files corresponding to chapters in the report:
Cover & Front Matter * Introduction * Poverty on a Global Scale * Poverty within Continents * Poverty within Countries * Urban Poverty * Back Matter

Source:
Center for International Earth Science Information Network
[ Columbia University - City of New York]

University of California Atlas of Global Inequality
"Researchers attempting to wade through the murky and volatile waters of globalization can sometimes find the going rough. For the general public, even grasping the mere tenets of what globalization entails can be equally confounding. The Center for Global, International and Regional Studies at the University of California Santa Cruz has stepped in to help with their UC Atlas of Global Inequality. Drawing on a wide range of data sets, their online Atlas “explores the interaction between global integration (globalization) and inequality.” Some of the themes visitors can explore include economic globalization, health, and income inequality. Along with these interactive features, visitors also have access to time series maps of the world that show patterns of inequality and a database that allows tables and graphs to be generated and downloaded for selected data and countries."
Reviewed by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2006.

Special features of the Atlas:
- Time series maps of the world show changes in global patterns of inequality
- Country pages provide information, graphs and comparative rankings for each country
- The Global Inequality Blog summarizes key contributions to our understanding of inequality
- A database allows tables and graphs to be generated and downloaded for selected data and countries.
- Texts and the Glossary provide explanation of the issues and terms; the Bibliography provides direct links to the research.
- Teaching modules provide suggestions for using data and maps in classes.

Social Sciences : Issue 63 - July 2006 issue - U.K.
Newsletter
HTML version
PDF version - 1.5MB, 20 pages
- incl. links to : News in brief * STEPS (Social,Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) * Setting research and policy agendas - the Global Environmental Change Programme's first years * The British Household Panel Survey * Research in the pipeline * Society, social behaviour and neuroscience * The Rural Economy and Land Use Programme Briefing Paper No 3 * ESRC Survey Link Scheme workshops * New Dynamics of Ageing Programme * Conferences and seminars * Books * People

New Research
Earlier issues of the newsletter - links to almost two dozen issues of the newsletter going back to 2002

Source:
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) - U.K.
The Economic and Social Research Council is the UK's leading research funding and training agency addressing economic and social concerns. We aim to provide high quality research on issues of importance to business, the public sector and government.

Also from ESRC:

UK Fact Sheets
This section contains fact sheets on a wide range of issues in the UK. listed by theme.

International Fact Sheets
This section provides a series of fact sheets about global issues, including finance, communication, poverty, global security, migration and health (poverty to come...).

Government Programs and Social Outcomes:
The United States in Comparative Perspective (PDF file - 454K, 69 pages)
by Timothy Smeeding
May 2005
"(...) A partial solution to the poverty problem that is consistent with American values lies in creating an income package that mixes work and benefits so that unskilled and semi-skilled workers, including single parents, can support their families above the poverty level. Such a package could include more generous earnings supplements under the EITC, refundable child and daycare tax credits, and the public guarantee of assured child support for single parents with an absent partner who cannot or will not provide income to their children. A reasonable increase in the minimum wage over the next several years would also help low-skilled workers more than it would hurt them. Targeted programs to increase job access and skills for less skilled workers could also help meet future growing labor demand in the United States economy. In the long run, a human capital strategy that focuses on improving the education and marketable job skills of disadvantaged future workers, particularly younger ones, is the approach likely to have the biggest payoff.
[Excerpt, "Toward Solutions", p. 36]

- the country comparison includes Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden.

------------------------------

The Temporal Welfare State: A Crossnational Comparison (PDF file - 1.2MB, 48 pages)
by Rice James, Goodin Robert, Parpo Antti
April 2006
Welfare states contribute to people’s well-being in many different ways. Bringing all these contributions under a common metric is tricky. Here we propose doing so through the notion of ‘temporal autonomy’: the freedom to spend one’s time as one pleases, outside the necessities of everyday life. Using surveys from five countries (the USA, Australia, Germany, France, and Sweden) that represent the principal types of welfare and gender regimes, we propose ways of operationalising the time that is strictly necessary for people to spend in paid labour, unpaid household labour, and personal care. The time people have at their disposal after taking into account what is strictly necessary in these three arenas — which we christen ‘discretionary time’ — represents people’s temporal autonomy. We measure the impact on this of government taxes, transfers, and childcare subsidies in these five countries. In so doing, we calibrate the contributions of the different welfare and gender regimes that exist in these countries, in ways that correspond to the lived reality of people’s daily lives.

Working Papers:

Search the 433 working papers by theme or country
HINT: click the "Send" button in the bottom-left corner of the search page to see links to 400+ studies on one page!

Source:
Luxembourg Income Study

What's New from Australian Policy Online :

Selected content from the most recent issue of Weekly Briefing
30 June 2006
http://www.apo.org.au

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE COLLECTION OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT
ISLANDER HEALTH AND WELFARE STATISTICS 2005
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Good quality data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are needed to assess the effectiveness of programs and interventions, and to evaluate policies that are designed to improve the status of, and service delivery to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=88291

MEDICAL INDEMNITY NATIONAL DATA COLLECTION, PUBLIC SECTOR 2004-05
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
This report presents data on the number, nature, incidence and costs of public sector medical indemnity claims for the period 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. It describes incidents that gave rise to claims, the people affected by these incidents, and the size, duration and outcomes of medical indemnity claims. This is the third report originating from the medical Indemnity National Collection (public sector).
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=88283

COMMUNITY AGED CARE PACKAGES IN AUSTRALIA 2004-05
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
This report presents key statistics on the levels of service provision of the Community Aged Care Packages Program and the Extended Aged Care at Home Program funded by the Australian Government. Detailed statistics on the socio-demographic characteristics of package recipients and the patterns of the recipients' admissions and separations are also provided.
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=88278

ALCOHOL AND WORK
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Little is known regarding the alcohol consumption patterns of the Australian workforce and the impact these patterns have on workplace safety, workplace productivity and workers' wellbeing. This report addresses this lack of knowledge, and is one of the most comprehensive examinations of the role of alcohol in the Australian workplace.
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=88263

SKILL: THE NEW GLOBAL CURRENCY
Dusseldorp Skills Forum
Across any aspect of enterprise – whether in services, manufacturing, import/ export, or health and education – the skills of people define the success of the business, writes Jack Dusseldorp. Financial capital of course remains crucial, but human and social capital are now recognised as being just as important.
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=88228

THE DEMOCRATIC AUDIT OF AUSTRALIA: POPULISM vs CITIZEN RIGHTS
Democratic Audit of Australia
Marian Sawer describes how the Democratic Audit of Australia has separated out the values of political equality, popular control of government, civil liberties/human rights and deliberative democracy in order to highlight the threat posed by populist majoritarianism. Attacks on the 'non-elected' intermediary institutions essential to accountability and rights protection in representative democracy undermine popular control of government despite speaking in its name.
Posted 27-06-2006
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=86214

MEASURING HOUSING PRICES: AN UPDATE
Reserve Bank
Over the past few years, developments in housing prices have been of significant concern to policy-makers in many countries. But measurement problems make it difficult to assess developments accurately with the available data. This article summarises research on the measurement of aggregate housing prices, and uses data for Sydney and Melbourne to demonstrate alternative methods.
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=88293

INQUIRY INTO CIVICS AND ELECTORAL EDUCATION
Parliament of Australia Joint Committee
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has published the submissions to the 'Inquiry into civics and electoral education'. They can now be viewed on their website and feature numerous interesting submissions from a wide variety of individuals and groups. There is currently a total of 83 submissions.
http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=86220

EVENTS
See http://www.apo.org.au/event_archive.shtml
List of over three dozen seminars, forums, conferences and workshops on (among other topics) health policy, child care in Sweden, feminist economics, welfare-to-work, human rights, Indigenous education and training, models of aged care, older men's health in Australia,

To subscribe to APO's weekly briefing, simply visit their website at http://www.apo.org.au and enter your email address in the box in the left margin of the web page.

Source:
Australian policy Online

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What's New from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:

Australia's Health 2006
Published 21 June 2006
"Australia's health 2006 is the tenth biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It is the nation's authoritative source of information on patterns of health and illness, determinants of health, the supply and use of health services, and health services expenditure. Australia's Health 2006 is an essential reference and information resource for all Australians with an interest in health."
HTML version - table of contents with links to PDF versions of each chapter
PDF version - (7.1MB, 528 pages)
Earlier editions of Australia's Health

Australia's Welfare 2005
Published 30 November 2005
"Australia's Welfare is the most comprehensive and authoritative source of national information on welfare services in Australia. Topics include indicators of the welfare of Australia's population, ageing and aged care services, disability and disability services, assistance for housing, services for people experiencing homelessness, and welfare services expenditure and labour force. It also features an extended chapter on children, youth and families."
HTML version - table of contents with links to PDF and RTF versions of each chapter
PDF version (1.96MB, 514 pages)
Earlier editions of Australia's Welfare

The View from the Summit – Gleneagles G8 One Year On
News Release
[9 June 2006] – The View from the Summit – Gleneagles G8 One Year On, a new report from international agency Oxfam released on Friday shows that decisions made at last year's G8 in Scotland, following huge pressure from campaigners around the world, have led to real improvement in the lives of some of the world's poorest people. However, Oxfam is concerned that while debt cancellation is starting to be delivered, the growth in aid in key G8 nations is not enough to meet the promises made at the Gleneagles G8.
Source:
Child Rights Information Network

Complete report:

The view from the summit – Gleneagles G8 one year on (PDF file - 193K, 17 pages)
OXFAM Briefing Note
9 June 2006
Source:
OXFAM

Social Research in Other Countries - NGOs

La recherche sociale ailleurs dans le monde - les ONG

Social Research in
Other Countries - NGOs

La recherche sociale
ailleurs dans le monde - les ONG