Canadian Social Research Newsletter
May 9, 2010

Welcome to the weekly Canadian Social Research Newsletter,
a listing of the new links added to the Canadian Social Research Links website in the past week.

The e-mail version of this week's issue of the newsletter is going out to 2,268 subscribers.

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes, a disclaimer
and other stuff that has nothing whatsoever to do with social policy...

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Haiti Earthquake
Haiti still needs our help.
Source:
Canadian Red Cross

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Haiti Relief - from the CBC
- links to information resources, more organizations accepting donations

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE
CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH NEWSLETTER:

Canadian content

1. Payday lender’s stock has soared despite regulations (Toronto Star) - May 8
2. [Federal] Funding cut to 14 women's groups (Canadian Press) - May 5
3. Ola! (E-newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice) - May 2010 issue
4. Ontario govt. not committed to welfare reform? (25-in-5 Network for Poverty Reduction) - April 29
5. Restraint hits poor the hardest ( Linda McQuaig) - May 2010
6. Working for a Living Wage 2010 : Vancouver (Can. Centre for Policy Alternatives) - May 2010
7. How the 2008-2009 Recession Created Poverty for Canadian Families (Citizens for Public Justice) - May 3
8. A report on the perceptions of homelessness and poverty in Canada (Salvation Army) - May 3
9. Introducing the new Ontario Court Forms Assistant (Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General) - May 3
10. Harmonized Sales Tax changes coming to Ontario and British Columbia on July 1 (Canada Revenue Agency)
11. What's new from Finance Canada:
--- Minister of Finance Moves to Enhance Protection for Private Pension Plan Members - May 3
--- Release of The Fiscal Monitor for February 2010 - April 30
--- Minister of Finance Releases Draft Proposals on Tax-Free Savings Accounts - April 30
12. What's New in The Daily [Statistics Canada]:
--- Labour Force Survey, April 2010 - May 7
--- Gender Differences in Police-reported Violent Crime in Canada, 2008 - May 6
--- Employment, Earnings and Hours February 2010 - May 4
--- National economic accounts: Balance sheets
13. What's new from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit - May 9
14. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs (U. of Wisconsin-Madison)
15. [U.S.] Health Reform Starts to Kick In (President Obama from The White House) - May 8
16. Council for Employment, Income and Social Cohesion (CERC, Paris) Bulletin - May 3 issue:
--- [U.S.] Do highly exclusive social welfare programs increase political inequality? - March 2010
--- [U.S.] A modern framework for measuring poverty and basic economic security April 2010
--- Neighbourhood child poverty in Sweden - April 2010
--- Women, poverty and social policy regimes : A cross-national analysis - April 2010
--- Five years after the reform of the social and unemployment benefits in Germany - April 2010
--- [OECD countries] Labour markets and the crisis - April 2010
--- [U.S.] The gender wage gap by occupation - Updated April 2010
--- [Germany] Rising wage inequality, the decline of collective bargaining and the gender wage gap - April 2010
--- [Europe] Informal carers : Who takes care of them ? - April 2010
17. Study on Child Poverty and Child Well-Being in the European Union (TÁRKI - Hungary) - March 23
18. Australian Policy Online - recent content - May 8:
--- State of child care in Australia - April 2010
19. Exit Poverty Empowerment (Kenya)
20. CRINMAIL (children's rights newsletter)

Have a great week!
Gilles
[ gilseg@rogers.com ]

1. Payday lender’s stock has soared despite regulations - May 8
(Toronto Star)

Ontario:
(but also applies elsewhere in Canada...)

Payday lender’s stock has soared despite regulations
Cash Store executive says he welcomed regulations
May 8, 2010
By James Daw
A funny thing happened on the way to regulating payday lenders in the midst of a recession. Owners of the only public company based in Canada that specializes in high-cost, short-term loans have seen their shares triple in price. (...) John Stapleton, a consultant and expert in social assistance policy, says some consumers will pay dearly to cash a cheque or get a payday loan rather than risk having a deposit seized by a lender. “You can’t (easily) find out if you have a lien against you that could result in money being seized from an account,” he said Friday. Welfare recipients he has interviewed are refused a bank account for lack of official identification. So they pay high fees to a cash their meagre monthly cheques from Ontario Works.
Source:
Toronto Star

Open Policy - John Stapleton's personal website

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm

2. Funding cut to 14 women's groups - May 5
(Canadian Press)

Funding cut to 14 women's groups
Critics charge Tories with fostering
a 'culture of intimidation' over abortion
May 5, 2010
OTTAWA
Critics are accusing the Harper government of ideologically driven intimidation for cutting funding to women's groups even as it prepares to champion maternal health at June's G8 Summit. The Conservatives have axed funding up to 14 women's groups in the past two weeks. News of the cuts surfaced a day after Tory Senator Nancy Ruth warned aid groups they risk a backlash from the government if they don't "shut the f--- up" on the government's refusal to include abortion in the G8 plan.
Source:
The Canadian Press

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Women's group cuts 'ideological': MPs
May 5, 2010
Opposition parties say the Conservative government has recently cut federal funding to more than a dozen women's groups because the organizations don't share Prime Minister Stephen Harper's ideology and dare to criticize his policies. The Liberals circulated a list on Wednesday of groups that promote human rights, equality rights and anti-homelessness initiatives that have lost federal funding within the past two weeks. But the Conservatives say the groups were "inefficient" and the government is just making sure taxpayers get their money's worth.
Source:
CBC

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Harper government axes funding for 11 women's groups
May 4, 2010
A women's rights group is charging that the Harper government has cut funding for 11 women's groups in the last two weeks, just prior to June's G8 summit at which maternal health to a key part of the agenda
Source:
CTV

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Tories accused of culture of intimidation
May 4, 2010
By Richard J. Brennan
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been accused of systematically undermining women in this country by stripping their advocacy groups of tens of millions of dollars and targeting those critical of his government’s anti-abortion stance on the world stage. In the past two weeks, the federal government has ended funding to 14 women’s groups, including a non-governmental agency that was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for more than 30 years.
Source:
Toronto Star

---

Lest we forget:

Federal Government Cuts to Women's Programs in September 2006
- this link takes you to a special section of the Canadian Women's NGO Links page of this site

---

- Go to the Canadian Government Sites about Women's Social Issues page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/women.htm

3. Ola! (E-newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice) - May 2010 issue

Ola! (E-newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice) - May 2010 issue
Table of Contents:
* CPJ releases research paper on the impact of the recession
* Progress towards a federal anti-poverty Act
* CPJ meets new HUMA Committee Chair
* “Poor no More” launch on Parliament Hill
* CPJ development and fundraising news
* BIEN Canada conference
* CPJ comes to Toronto
* How will you and your congregation respond?
* Climate change as a moral problem: CPJ attends retreat
* CPJ’s Annual General Meeting, Thursday, May 27, 2010: Everyone welcome!
* World Religious Summit on the G8/G20 meetings: Sign the Petition
* Connect with CPJ on Facebook
* Web Features
* Still waiting for recovery: Recession increases poverty rate in Canada
* The G8 – G20 in Canada: A time for inspired leadership and change
* Muted Voices? Public Justice and the Canadian Churches
* Time for an Affordable Housing Act?
* The Commission of Hope
* Does representative democracy threaten national security?
* Closing Prayer: God has given us a dream

[ View all issues of Ola! ]

[ Subscribe to receive Ola! by email ]

Source:
Citizens for Public Justice
Our mission is to promote public justice in Canada by shaping key public policy debates through research and analysis, publishing and public dialogue. CPJ encourages citizens, leaders in society and governments to support policies and practices which reflect God’s call for love, justice and stewardship.

- Go to the Non-Governmental Organizations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ngobkmrk.htm

4. Ontario Budget Decisions on Social Assistance Call Commitment into Question - April 29
(25-in-5 Network for Poverty Reduction)

New from the
25-in-5 Network for Poverty Reduction:

Open Letter to Premier McGuinty
from the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction:
Budget Decisions on Social Assistance Call Commitment into Question
Letter dated 29 April 29, 2010
Posted to the 25 in 5 website on May 5, 2010

Dear Premier McGuinty,

As organizations committed to the mission to reduce poverty, we write to express our serious concern about recent moves your government has taken on the poverty front. More than a year into Ontario’s efforts to reduce poverty by 25% by 2013, your government has made the following moves that call into question your government’s commitment to meeting its own poverty reduction goals:

1. Ending the Special Diet Allowance Program without a previous and clearly thought through replacement plan, which will result in a significant drop in income for people on social assistance who have health-related nutritional needs;
2. Allowing, for the first time since 2006, social assistance rate increases to fall below the rate of inflation.

These actions are distressing, and – without adequate and commensurate resolution – threaten the health and safety of many struggling individuals in this province...

Source:
25-in-5: Network for Poverty Reduction
25 in 5 is a multi-sectoral network comprised of more than 100 provincial and Toronto-based organizations and individuals working on eliminating poverty.

- Go to the Provincial and Territorial Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm

5. Restraint hits poor the hardest - May 2010
( Linda McQuaig)

Ontario Special Diet Allowance

Restraint hits poor the hardest : Ontario's
austerity program literally takes food out of the mouths of the hungry.
By Linda McQuaig
May 3, 2010
After inflation, welfare benefits today only have 55 percent of the buying power they had in 1993.
(...) The elimination of the special diet allowance in the recent provincial budget is really just the continuation of the assault on the incomes of the very poorest citizens that began with former premier Mike Harris's 22 percent cut in provincial welfare rates in 1995.

Other columns by Linda McQuaig - links to 100+ columns (from the Toronto Star) going back to 2005.
Recommended for your Summer reading list!!

Books by Linda McQuaig - simple list (incl. publisher details) of Linda McQuaig's nine books, from The Wealthy Banker's Wife (1993) and Shooting the Hippo (1995) to her latest, Holding the Bully's Coat (2007). No links except for short summaries of the three latest books.
[ Amazon.ca online bookstore --- Books by Linda McQuaig ]

Links - 30+ links to progressive websites in Canada and the U.S.
Source:
LindaMcQuaig.com

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Linda McQuaig - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

---

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm

6. Working for a Living Wage 2010 : Making Paid Work Meet Basic Family Needs in Metro Vancouver - May 2010
(Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)

From the British Columbia Office of the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

2010 living wage shows the real costs
of raising a family in Metro Vancouver
News Release
May 4, 2010
Vancouver --- $18.17 is the 2010 family living wage, according to a report released today that calculates an hourly wage based on the real costs of raising a family in Vancouver. Working for a Living Wage 2010: Making Paid Work Meet Basic Family Needs in Metro Vancouver updates the first Metro Vancouver calculation published in 2008, and was released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, and the Metro Vancouver Living Wage for Families Campaign.

Working for a Living Wage 2010
Making Paid Work Meet Basic Family Needs in Metro Vancouver (PDF - 419K, 8 pages)
by Tim Richards, Marcy Cohen, Seth Klein
May 2010

Related link:

HST arrives in Ontario and B.C.
Taxpayers in two provinces begin paying HST on services
May 1, 2010
(...) The tax, which combines the five per cent federal goods and services tax with the provincial sales tax, has met with opposition from those who fear it will drive up the cost services that were previously exempt from provincial sales tax. (...) And many taxpayers in Ontario don't know they'll receive "transition" cheques of up to $1,000 per family starting in June...
Source:
CBC Toronto

ONTARIO

From the
Ontario Ministry of Revenue:

Tax Changes for a Stronger Ontario:
What the changes mean to you (PDF - 780K, 2 pages)
Moving to the HST will cause some purchases to cost more because some goods and services that were not subject to the PST will become subject to the provincial portion (eight per cent) for the first time. However, 83 per cent of consumer purchases will not see a new tax. In fact, on a number of items, prices will eventually come down.

Ontario's Comprehensive Tax Package
Ontario's new comprehensive tax package includes the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and a number of personal and business income tax cuts, credits and benefits that could affect you.

What's Taxable Under the HST and What's Not?
In total, about 83 per cent of products and services purchased by consumers will see no new tax. Only 17 per cent will see a new tax, things like personal and professional services such as hairstyling and legal fees, as well as energy costs including home heating fuel and electricity.
- includes a large list of examples of common products and services and how they will be affected by the HST
[ PDF version of the list (868K, 8 pages) ]

Frequently-Asked Questions about the HST in Ontario

Source:
Ontario Ministry of Revenue

_____________________

What about the effect of the
HST on poor households and
those on social assistance in Ontario?

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From the
25-in-5 Network for Poverty Reduction:

Submission to the Ontario Government
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
regarding Bill 218, An Act to implement 2009 Budget
measures and to enact, amend or repeal various Acts
December 7, 2009
By Michael Creek and Greg deGroot-Maggetti
Co-chairs of the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction
"(...) In order to benefit from the HST credits, households must complete annual income tax returns. Many low income people do not file tax returns, for a variety of reasons, yet will be required to pay HST on many daily items."
Source:
25-in-5: Network for Poverty Reduction
25-in-5 is a multi-sectoral network comprised of more than 100 provincial and Toronto-based organizations and individuals working on eliminating poverty.
(Michael Creek and Greg deGroot-Maggetti are co-chairs of the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction.)

---

From the
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC):

Fact Sheet : Harmonized Sales Tax (PDF - 58K, 4 pages)
March 2010
Beginning July 1, 2010, the two sales taxes Ontarians pay (GST & PST) will be combined into one tax: the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).
What will this mean for people on Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program Ontario?
(...)
ISAC will continue to monitor the implementation of the HST to see what impact the tax changes will have for people on OW and ODSP. And ISAC is working with the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction, other partners, and officials in the Ministry of Revenue to make sure that the government takes action to help people file their taxes, and to reduce other barriers to tax filing.
Source:
Income Security Advocacy Centre
The Income Security Advocacy Centre works with and on behalf of low income communities in Ontario to address issues of income security and poverty.

---

From
Citizens for Public Justice:

Ontario’s Harmonized Sales Tax: a regressive policy
April 23, 2009
(...)While at first glance the HST appears to be a simple policy change, it in fact will have a significant impact on individuals and families, and disproportionately those with low-incomes. Combining the two taxes will mean that a wide variety of consumer items that currently are only taxed by GST – many of which are basic goods and services – will now be charged PST as well. These include gasoline, water, hydro, used cars, government goods and services, internet, cable and telephone services.
Source:
Citizens for Public Justice
Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is a national organization of members inspired by faith to act for justice in Canadian public policy.

---

From the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

Not a Tax Grab After All
A Second Look At Ontario's HST (PDF - 484K, 18 pages)
By Ernie Lightman and Andrew Mitchell
December 14, 2009 (Revised January 6, 2010)
This in-depth analysis of Ontario's proposed Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) shows the tax is virtually revenue neutral when viewed as part of a total tax package that includes increased sales and property tax credits and a significant decrease in personal income tax rates.
[ This is an updated version (January 6, 2010) of the report first released December 14, 2009. ]
Source:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
The CCPA is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic justice.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

From the
BC Ministry of Finance:

The Harmonized Sales Tax
April 6, 2010
On July 1st the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) will be eliminated. A 7% B.C. rate will be added to the 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) forming a combined HST of 12%, the lowest in Canada. The HST approach is far simpler, more transparent and fair than the PST system. And for the majority of goods you use, you won’t pay a penny more tax because of the HST.

How it works - more detail

Some of the benefits of the HST initiative:
* MORE JOBS & HIGHER WAGES
The HST is expected to create 113,000 jobs in British Columbia. With reduced costs for employers, they can expand their business and pay higher wages.
* SAVINGS PASSED ON TO CONSUMERS
The HST will remove hidden PST that is paid and compounded at every stage of a manufactured product.
* INCREASED INVESTMENT IN B.C.
The HST puts B.C. on a level playing field with 130 other countries and five provinces that have already moved to a similar tax structure.
* REBATES FOR FAMILIES, BUSINESSES & INDIVIDUALS
1.1 million British Columbians will receive the B.C. HST Credit, businesses will save more than $2 billion and many items will be exempt.

Frequently-Asked Questions about the HST in British Columbia

Source:
BC Ministry of Finance

---

B.C. to give some HST rebates
January 14, 2010
The B.C. government is offering schools and hospitals a break on the harmonized sales tax, which takes effect July 1.
Source:
CBC

---

Say No to HST in BC!
The Liberal Government in British Columbia is going to implement a new tax beginning on July 1 2010. H.S.T. stands for Harmonized Sales Tax, and is the combination of Provincial Sales Tax (P.S.T) of 7%, and Government Sales Tax (G.S.T.) of 5%, into one new tax, H.S.T. of 12%. The HST disproportionately impacts lower income earners because far more of their limited income will be spent paying the now extra 7% tax than higher income earners. How will this affect the average British Columbian?

- Go to the Ontario Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk.htm
- Go to the BC Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk.htm

11.What's new from Finance Canada:
--- Minister of Finance Moves to Enhance Protection for Private Pension Plan Members - May 3
--- Release of The Fiscal Monitor for February 2010 - April 30
--- Minister of Finance Releases Draft Proposals on Tax-Free Savings Accounts - April 30

Recent releases
from Finance Canada:

Minister of Finance Moves to Enhance Protection for Private Pension Plan Members
News Release
May 3, 2010
The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today proposed changes to federally regulated private pension plans that will enhance protection for plan members, reduce funding volatility and modernize the rules for investments by pension funds.

Related Documents:

* Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement
* Regulations

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Release of The Fiscal Monitor for February 2010
April 30, 2010
The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today released The Fiscal Monitor for February 2010.

Highlights:
February 2010: budgetary deficit of $0.9 billion
April 2009 to February 2010: budgetary deficit of $40.5 billion

Related document:
* The Fiscal Monitor for February 2010

[ earlier issues of The Fiscal Monitor ]

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Minister of Finance Releases Draft Proposals on Tax-Free Savings Accounts
News Release
April 30, 2010
The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today released for consultation a package of draft Income Tax Act amendments relating to Tax-Free Savings Accounts. These proposed amendments, when enacted, will implement the measures announced in the October 16, 2009 news release entitled Government of Canada Proposes Technical Changes Concerning Tax-Free Savings Accounts.

The accompanying explanatory notes provide additional details regarding the proposed legislative amendments.
Interested stakeholders have until May 31, 2010, to submit comments on the proposed amendments.

Related Documents:

* Draft Legislation
* Explanatory Notes

Source:
Department of Finance Canada

- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Agriculture to Finance) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Asset-Based Social Policies Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/assets.htm

12. What's New in The Daily [Statistics Canada]:
--- Labour Force Survey, April 2010 - May 7
--- Gender Differences in Police-reported Violent Crime in Canada, 2008 - May 6
--- Employment, Earnings and Hours February 2010 - May 4
--- National economic accounts: Balance sheets

Selected content from
The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

May 7, 2010
Labour Force Survey, April 2010
Employment increased by 109,000 in April, the largest monthly gain in percentage terms since August 2002. The unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points in April to 8.1%, as more people participated in the labour market.
- incl. links to three tables:
* Labour force characteristics by age and sex
* Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS)
* Labour force characteristics by province

[ earlier reports in this series ]

Related subjects:
* Labour
* Employment and unemployment

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May 6, 2010
Gender Differences in Police-reported Violent Crime in Canada, 2008
By Roxan Vaillancourt
1. Preface
2. Highlights
3. Main article
4. Charts
5. Appendices
6. User information
7. PDF version (293K, 26 pages)

Highlights

1. In 2008, overall rates of police-reported violent victimization were comparable between men and women, but the nature of their victimization differed.
2. Females were more likely to be victims of a common assault, the form associated with the least serious physical injury than males, while males were more likely than their female counterparts to be victims of the most serious forms of physical assault (levels 2 and 3) and have a weapon used against them.
3. Female victims of police-reported physical assaults were more often victimized by someone with whom they had a current or former intimate relationship; whereas male victims were most often physically assaulted by a stranger or by someone else outside of the family.
4. Females were over 10 times more likely than males to be victims of a police-reported sexual assault.
5. Males were more likely than females to be a homicide victim, accounting for 74% of victims of homicide during a 5-year period between the years 2004 to 2008.
6. More than one-third of male victims of homicide were killed with a firearm, compared to 20% of female homicide victims.

Source:
Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics Profile Series <=== links to 25 studies on similar topics

Related subjects:

* Crime and justice statistics

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

May 4, 2010
Employment, Earnings and Hours February 2010

1. Highlights
Non-farm payroll employment increased by 0.1% in February (+8,300). This advance was led by British Columbia, where there were notable job gains in accommodation and food services; investigation and security services; and employment services, all largely associated with the Olympic Games.
2. Note to users
3. Tables
4. Data quality, concepts and methodology
5. User information
6. Related products
7. PDF version (2.6MB, 385 pages

[ earlier editions of this report ]

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

National economic accounts: Balance sheets
(number-crunchers' delight --- oodles and oodles of tables and charts!!)

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

The Daily Archives
- select a month and click on a date for that day's Daily

Source:
The Daily
[Statistics Canada]

- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk2.htm
- Go to the Education Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/education.htm

13. What's new from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit - May 9

What's new from the
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU):

May 9, 2010

What's new online
This section archives documents that have been featured on the CRRU homepage.

Innovations in provincial early learning curriculum frameworks
4 May 10
- Newly published chapter by Rachel Langford, Ryerson University, describing and analyzing the various provincial early learning curriculum frameworks.

Social determinants of health: The Canadian facts
4 May 10
- Report from The Canadian Facts exploring the 14 primary social determinants of health, including early childhood development, for Canadians.

Working for a living wage 2010
4 May 10
- Report calculating the living wage necessary for a dual income family in Metro Vancouver to pay for necessities and support the healthy development of their children.

Child poverty and child well-being in the European Union
4 May 10
- Report by TARKI and Applica exploring child poverty and the effectiveness of policies to reduce child poverty and promote social inclusion in EU Member States.

The State of Preschool 2009
4 May 10
- Annual report from NIEER profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States.

more WHAT'S NEW ONLINE »

child care in the news
This section features interesting and noteworthy news about ECEC and related issues in Canada and internationally.

· Hard times derail growth of state-funded preschool [US]
4 May 10

· The real cost of raising a family in Metro Vancouver [CA-BC]
4 May 10

· Daycare safety charter unveiled [CA-MB]
3 May 10

· $57 million cut to childcare subsidies [NZ]
2 May 10

· Time for a close look at daycare system [CA-QC]
2 May 10

· That sinking feeling [AU]
1 May 10

more CC IN THE NEWS »

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

Subscribe to the CRRU email announcements list
Sign up to receive email notices of updates and new postings on the CRRU website which will inform you of policy developments in early childhood care and education, new research and resources for policy, newly released CRRU publications, and upcoming events of interest to the child care and broader community.

Links to child care
sites in Canada and elsewhere

CRRU Publications - briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications
ISSUE files - theme pages, each filled with contextual information and links to further info

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)
The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) is a policy and research oriented facility that focuses on early childhood education and child care (ECEC) and family policy in Canada and internationally.

- Go to the Non-Governmental Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd2.htm

14. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs
(Institute for Research on Poverty - University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Poverty Dispatch (U.S.)
- the content of this link changes several times a week
- scan of U.S. web-based news items dealing with topics such as poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.

Latest issues of Poverty Dispatch:

May 7:
Supplemental Poverty Measure
State Children’s Health Insurance Program - Texas
U.S. Unemployment Rate
Budget Cuts and Programs for the Poor - Minnesota
Application Process and Delivery of Benefits - Hawaii
Public Defense System - New York
Medicaid Payments to Hospitals - New York
Economic Stimulus and State Budgets

May 6:
2010 Report on Illinois Poverty
Rates of Homelessness - Hawaii, North Dakota
Cuts to Adult Education Programs - California

May 5:
Legal Aid for the Poor in Civil Cases
Aging Out of Foster Care - Utah
Juvenile Justice System - New York

May 4:
States and Medicaid Funding
Jobs Program and Temporary Employment - Los Angeles, CA
State Childhood Obesity Rates
Welfare Reform - Australia

May 3:
Joblessness and Unemployment - Utah
Editorial: Poverty Measurement in the US

---

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to dispatches back to June 2006

Search Poverty Dispatches

---

To subscribe to this email list, send an email to:
povdispatch-request@ssc.wisc.edu?subject=subscribe

---

Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)
[ University of Wisconsin-Madison ]

- Go to the Links to American Government Social Research page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm
- Go to the Poverty Measures - International Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty2.htm

15. [U.S.] Health Reform Starts to Kick In - May 8
(President Obama from The White House)

President Obama's Weekly Address:
Health Reform Starts to Kick In (4.5-minute video)
May 8, 2010
The President goes through the benefits in health insurance reform that are already kicking in for young adults, retirees, and families, and says more benefits coming down the pike.
Source:
The White House Blog
[ The White House ]

More U.S. health care reform links:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm#health_care_reform

16. Council for Employment, Income and Social Cohesion (CERC, Paris) Bulletin - May 3 issue
--- [U.S.] Do highly exclusive social welfare programs increase political inequality? A comparative analysis of the 50 US states - March 2010
--- [U.S.] A modern framework for measuring poverty and basic economic security April 2010
--- Neighbourhood child poverty in Sweden - April 2010
--- Women, poverty and social policy regimes : A cross-national analysis - April 2010
--- Five years after the reform of the social and unemployment benefits in Germany - April 2010
--- [OECD countries] Labour markets and the crisis - April 2010
--- [U.S.] The gender wage gap by occupation - Updated April 2010
--- [Germany] Rising wage inequality, the decline of collective bargaining and the gender wage gap - April 2010
--- [Europe] Informal carers : Who takes care of them ? - April 2010

Council for Employment, Income and Social Cohesion (CERC, Paris) Bulletin - selected content

From the Council for Employment, Income and Social Cohesion - Paris
Conseil de l'emploi, des revenus et de la cohésion sociale - CERC [version française]

Selected content from CERC Bulletin N°204 (May 3, 2010)
(Click on this link to see the complete list of studies in that issue...)
TIP : for similar research, click the links below to the authoring
organizations, then find the links to "Reports" or "Publications" on their websites.]

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Do highly exclusive social welfare programs increase political inequality?
A comparative analysis of the 50 US states (PDF - 100K, 28 pages)
March 2010
By E. Plutzer
Social Science Research Center
Berlin
Summary:
In this paper, I empirically test the notion that the degree of inclusion/exclusion of social welfare policies can have important feedback effects on political participation of poor citizens. I conduct a comparative analysis of the 50 US states, using the uptake (or coverage rate) of the Food Stamp program as an indicator of relative inclusiveness. If the inclusiveness of the program “sends a message” to potential recipients about their worth in the community, these messages may encourage or discourage participation.
Geographical area : United States

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A modern framework for measuring poverty and basic economic security (PDF - 662K, 66 pages)
April 2010
By S. Fremstad
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Washington
Summary:
This report details how the dominant framework for understanding and measuring poverty in the United States has become a conservative one. The current U.S. approach to measuring poverty views poverty only in terms of having an extremely low level of annual income, and utilizes poverty thresholds that are adjusted only for inflation rather than for changes in overall living standards. As a result, the official poverty measure has effectively defined deprivation down over the last four decades, moving it further and further away from mainstream living standards over time, as well as from majority public opinion of the minimum amount needed to “get along” at a basic level. A new Supplemental Income Poverty Measure (SIPM) proposed by the Obama administration makes some important improvements to the current poverty measure. However, the SIPM remains a conservative approach (...)
Geographical area : United States

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Neighbourhood child poverty in Sweden (PDF - 274K, 27 pages)
April 2010
By B. Gustafsson and T. Osterberg
Institute for the Study of Labor
Bonn
Summary : This paper takes a fresh look at child poverty at the neighbourhood level in the three metropolitan regions of Sweden using unique data for 1990, 1996 and 2002. We find that the number of neighbourhoods with high child poverty rates is much larger in 2002 than in 1990, but also that most poor children in the three regions live outside poor neighbourhoods.
Geographical area : Sweden

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Women, poverty and social policy regimes : A cross-national analysis (PDF - 342K, 40 pages)
April 2010
By J. C. Gornick and M. Jäntti
Luxembourg Income Study
Luxembourg
Geographical area : International
Summary:
This paper assesses women’s poverty in 26 diverse LIS countries – five Anglophone countries (INCLUDING CANADA), six Continental European countries, four Nordic countries, two Eastern European countries, three Southern European countries, and six Latin American countries.
Our analyses are organized around four questions:
(1) What is the probability that prime-age women, compared to their male counterparts, live in poor households?
(2) How does the overall pattern differ when we consider pre-transfer as well as post-transfer income, and when we consider absolute as well as relative poverty?
(3) How do women’s poverty rates, compared to men’s, vary by family type, by educational attainment, and by labour market status?
(4) How does our cross-national portrait of gender and poverty shift when we consider person-level income as well as household-level income?

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Five years after the reform of the social and unemployment benefits in Germany (PDF - 473K, 11 pages)
April 2010
By K. Brenke, DIW, Berlin
Geographical area : Germany

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Labour markets and the crisis, (PDF - 370K, 30 pages)
April 2010
OECD
[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]
Paris
Summary:
The deep recession has led to a marked deterioration in labour market conditions in the OECD area. This paper, which draws heavily on other ongoing analytical work at the OECD, takes stock of recent labour market developments, highlights some of the key uncertainties in the early stages of the upturn, and discusses the policy options available to damp any further, structural deterioration in labour markets andfacilitate an eventual, sustained, job-rich recovery.
Geographical area : OECD countries

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The gender wage gap by occupation (PDF - 228K, 9 pages)
Updated April 2010
By A. Hegewisch and H. Liepmann
Institute for Women's Policy Research
Washington
Geographical area : United States

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Rising wage inequality, the decline of collective bargaining and the gender wage gap (PDF - 773K, 54 pages)
April 2010
By D. Antonczyk, B. Fitzenberger and K. Sommerfeld
Institute for the Study of Labor
Bonn
Summary:
This paper investigates the increase in wage inequality, the decline in collective bargaining, and the development of the gender wage gap in West Germany between 2001 and 2006.
Geographical area : Germany

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Informal carers : Who takes care of them ?, (PDF - 636K, 17 pages)
April 2010
By F. Hoffmann and R. Rodrigues
European Centre
Vienna
Geographical area : Europe

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More studies like this (this link takes you to the table of contents for Bulletin #204)

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CERC Bulletin - links to all CERC semi-monthly bulletins <===links to 75+ bulletins!

Subscribe - To be informed of CERC activities and to receive the bulletin

Online Information Service
Information and online resources organized under five themes: Poverty * Social minima * In-work benefits * Minimum wage * Unemployment and return to work .
- includes links and resources for Canada...
HINT: click on the links in the right-hand margin of each theme page for more content

CERC Bulletins/Reports/Studies/Working papers
- Click on the links in the left margin of the CERC website home page for access to a large collection of online resources

- Go to the Government Social Research Links in Other Countries page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internat.htm
- Go to the Links to International Sites about Women's Social Issues page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/womeninternat.htm

17. Study on Child Poverty and Child Well-Being in the European Union U - March 23
(TÁRKI - Hungary)

Study on Child Poverty and Child Well-Being in the EU
23 March 2010
Children are an especially vulnerable group because of their dependent status and because they can only partly influence their own well-being. (...) Combating child poverty and improving child well-being have therefore become key issues on the policy agenda of the EU and Members States. Following the work carried out in 2007 and 2008 by the European Commission and the Member States in the context of the European Strategy for Social Inclusion, notably the report prepared by the EU Task-Force on Child Poverty and Child Well-Being, a new study has been launched this year to contribute to the development of more coherent and integrated policies in this area.
- incl. links to : Aims | Policy context | Downloadables | Methodology | Conference | Follow up | Project details
- covers the following countries:
* Germany * Estonia * Ireland * Greece * France * Italy * Hungary * Poland * Slovenia * Finland * United Kingdom

Downloadables
Main page for downloading the complete report,
an overview, a summary and country case studies.
[ Summary (PDF - 116K, 10 pages) ]
[ Main report (PDF - 1.6MB, 207 pages) - NOT incl. annexes and country case studies ]

Source:
TÁRKI
TÁRKI has 25 years of experience of empirical social science research in Hungary. Its background includes research on a wide range of issues related to social stratification, labour markets, income distribution, consumption and lifestyle patterns and attitudes, and it has increasingly focused on market research applications.

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

18. Australian Policy Online - recent content - May 8
--- State of child care in Australia - April 2010

Australian Policy Online (APO)
APO is a news service and library specialising in Australian public policy reports and articles from academic research centres, think tanks, government and non-government organisations. The site features opinion and commentary pieces, video, audio and web resources focussed on the policy issues facing Australia.
[ About APO ]
NOTE : includes links to the latest APO research; the five most popular downloads of the week
appear in a dark box in the top right-hand corner of each page, and the downloads vary depending on the topic you select.

Found in APO:

State of child care in Australia (PDF - 480K, 12 pages)
April 2010
This report provides a statistical analysis of the Australian child care market over the last five years.
It shows that :
* The number of long day care centres increased from 4,751 to 5,758 between 2005 and 2009. This is an increase of more than 1000 centres, or 21%, and equates to an average increase of about 250 centres each year.
* The number of children using long day care has increased by 15% over the past four years.
*The proportion of long day care hours being used has declined from 77% in 2005 to 75% in 2009.
• Out-of-pocket costs to families have fallen across all income levels. In 2004 families earning $55,000 a year spent 13% of their disposable income on child care, this has fallen to 7% in 2009.
Source:
Office of Early Childhood Education & Child Care
[ Australian Department of Education,
Employment and Workplace Relations ]

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Most viewed this week on APO:

1. Garma Festival 2009 key forum address
2. Australia's future tax system (Henry review)
3. Working for nothing: a lack of funding, or something more questionable?
4. Government response to the report of the Government 2.0 Taskforce
5. Relationship Australia's Indigenous network
[You'll find these links on the APO home page.]

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New Research : Social Policy | Poverty
- topics include:
* Community * Cultural diversity * Families & households * Gender & sexuality * Immigration & refugees * Population * Poverty * Religion & faith * Social Inclusion * Social problems * Welfare * Youth

Most viewed this week:

1. Australia's future tax system (Henry review)
2. Relationship Australia's Indigenous network
3. State of child care in Australia
4. Who’s afraid of human rights?
5. Populate or perish?
[You'll find these links on the APO Social Policy page.]

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

19. Exit Poverty Empowerment (Kenya)

Exit Poverty Empowerment (Kenya)
Exit Poverty Empowerment is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2009 on grounds that poverty is multi facet issue that require multi facet solutions, As one active, effective, and respected non-profit organizations working for economical empowerment with nearly 300 groups and thousands of supporters, we remain committed to empowering citizen participation in eradicating poverty.

Exit Poverty is a movement of people working together to make a difference for the poor in Kenya today. The organization depends on the unpaid work of many thousands of volunteers who organize, carry out local fundraising initiatives large and small, and who campaign to change the systems that keep people poor.

Poverty reduction does not occur by finance ministers reforming economy or by citizens getting a new constitution. Poverty is a multifaceted issue that requires multi faceted solutions and action from all society agents. Exit Poverty attacks 5 causes of poverty; economic block, bad governance, corruption, tribalism and interlink issue. It also bridges all the 5 agents; government, civil society, donors, the private sector, and poor people themselves on 5 empowerment pillars:
* Promoting economic opportunity
* Empowerment on governance
* Empowering citizens to fight corruption
* Anti Tribalism Empowerment
* Mainstreaming cross-cutting

- Go to the National/Federal and International Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty2.htm

20. CRINMAIL
(Child Rights Information Network - CRIN)

From the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)

Latest issues of CRINMAIL (children's rights newsletter):

6 May 2010 - CRINMAIL 1172
* UN COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Session 54 [event and reports]
* AFRICA: Parliamentarians push for continent-wide female genital mutilation/cutting ban [news]
* UNITED STATES: Fields of Peril - Child Labour in US Agriculture [publication]
* DISABILITY: Monitoring the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [publication]
* EUROPE: European Commission steps up protection for unaccompanied minors [news]
* UNITED NATIONS: Consultation on the protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration [event]
* EMPLOYMENT: Save the Children / UNICEF/ UNICEF - Afghanistan [job postings]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

4 May 2010 - CRINMAIL 1171
Special Edition on Children's Rights and freedom of expression
* Editorial: Children's Rights and Freedom of Expression
* Crackdowns on Child Rights Activists
* Organisations and Resources

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

Links to Issues of CRINMAIL
- links to 200* weekly issues, many of which are special editions focusing on special themes, such as the 45th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the launch of the EURONET Website.
NOTE: see http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm for the table of contents for, and links to, several months' worth of issues of CRINMAIL.

Source:
CRINMAIL(incl. subscription info)
[ Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) ]

- Go to the Children's Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm

Disclaimer/Privacy Statement

Both Canadian Social Research Links (the site) and this Canadian Social Research Newsletter belong solely to me, Gilles Séguin.

I am solely accountable for the choice of links presented therein and for the occasional editorial comment - it's my time, my home computer, my experience, my biases, my Rogers Internet account and my web hosting service.

I administer the mailing list and distribute the weekly newsletter using software on the web server of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Thanks, CUPE!

If you wish to subscribe to the e-mail version of newsletter, go to the Canadian Social Research Newsletter Online Subscription page:
http://lists.cupe.ca/mailman/listinfo/csrl-news
...or send me an email message.
You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

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

The e-mail version of this newsletter is available only in plain text (no graphics, no hyperlinks, no fancy bolding or italics, etc.) to avoid security problems with government departments, universities and other networks with firewalls. The text-only version is also friendlier for people using older or lower-end technology.

Privacy Policy:
The Canadian Social Research Newsletter mailing list is not used for any purpose except to distribute each weekly issue.
I promise not share any information on this list, nor to send you any junk mail.

Links presented in the Canadian Social Research Newsletter point to different views about social policy and social programs.
There are some that I don't agree with, so don't get on my case, eh...

To access earlier online HTML issues of the Canadian Social Research Newsletter, go to the Newsletter page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/news.htm

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter as widely as you wish, but please remember to mention Canadian Social Research Links when you do.

Cheers!
Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

***************************

Top 10 Groucho Marx Quotes

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10. From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it.

9. A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.

8. I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

7. I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll be glad to make an exception.

6. I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.

5. She got her looks from her father. He’s a plastic surgeon.

4. I didn’t like the play, but then I saw it under adverse conditions – the curtain was up.

3. I don’t care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members.

2. Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?

1. Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.

Source:
The internets
(I forgot to copy the URL.)
BTW - The list of high school analogies from last week will be continued next week...
----------------------------

And, in closing...

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

Special for my long-distance fishing buddy
Michael and all of the other fishers out there:

The Ottawa River Monster:
http://tunthai.multiply.com/journal/item/1278
- forget the ultra-light tackle; get the heavy-duty winch!

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Reality-based Venn diagrams
http://i.imgur.com/jq5ok.jpg

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Sarah Beck or Glen Palin??
http://i.imgur.com/464pW.jpg

*********************

Exploring Web Typography (intuitive) --- also a great sobriety test!!
http://matthewjamestaylor.com/exploring-web-typography/index.html

*********************

Guidelines for writing a good ABOUT page for your website:
http://sixrevisions.com/content-strategy/about-page-guidelines/
Required reading for web designers from government AND the NGO sector!!