Canadian Social Research Newsletter
October 21 , 2007

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 1820 subscribers.

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes and a disclaimer.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian Content

1. From the Toronto Star:
--- Provincial officials vow to move quickly on plan to provide dental care to the working poor - October 20
--- The Prosperity Gap : Why poverty threatens us all - October 20
--- 'Big-box' daycare coming to Canada - October 20
2. Reducing Poverty: What has Worked, and What Should Come Next (C.D. Howe Institute) - October 17
3. Does anybody really know how many Torontonians rely on food banks? (Macleans Magazine) - October 17
4. Save Low Income Housing Coalition - Vancouver
5. L'inégalité de revenu au Québec 1979-2004 (Institut de la statistique du Québec) - 2 octobre
6. Twelve recent reports on panhandling (Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg) - June to September 2007
7. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 2007 - October 17
8. Speech from the Throne (Government of Canada) - October 16
9. What's New from Statistics Canada:
--- Consumer Price Index, September 2007 - October 19
--- Current economic conditions - October 19
--- University tuition fees, 2007/2008 - October 18
--- Homicides, 2006 - October 18
--- Victim services, 2005/2006 - October 16
10. Freezing university fees doesn't help low-income students (The Globe and Mail) - October 16
11. What's New - from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (University of Toronto) - October 19

International Content

12. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs
13. U.S. - Improving Work Supports : Closing the financial gap for low-wage workers and their families (Agenda for Shared Prosperity - Economic Policy Institute) - October 2
14. Bridging the Gaps: A Picture of How Work Supports Work in Ten States (U.S.) (Center for Economic and Policy Research) - October 2007
15. A child rights approach to child poverty : a discussion paper (Eurochild) - September 2007
16. October 18/2007 - CRINMAIL 925 (Child Rights Information Network - CRIN)

From the Toronto Star:

Election promise gets teeth:
Provincial officials vow to move quickly on plan to provide dental care to the working poor
October 20, 2007
By Moira Welsh
"(...) the Liberals ... promised that the working poor would get basic dental care under a $45-million-a-year program. The plan is aimed at those on low incomes because most don't have private health coverage for their teeth. The Liberals estimated that about 500,000 Ontarians would be eligible..."

The Prosperity Gap : Why poverty threatens us all
The gap between rich in poor in this country has reached Third World levels.
Will it take widespread unrest to convince people they have a stake in this?
October 20, 2007
By David Olive
According to the latest statistics from the World Bank, the widening gap between rich and poor in Canada is now roughly on par with that of Indonesia. Indeed, in the matter of income equality, Canada trails not only the Scandinavian countries, but Egypt and Pakistan, as well. You might think that fact alone would place poverty high on the national agenda. But in this week's throne speech, Prime Minister Stephen Harper devoted no more than 98 of 4,000 words – less than 3 per cent – to the subject. More than a decade of tax cuts at the federal level and in certain provinces has not put a dent in the rising number of people in poverty, despite being among the advertised benefits of tax reduction.

'Big-box' daycare coming to Canada
Industry worried as Aussie 'Fast Eddy' looking to expand his $2.2 billion empire
Oct 20, 2007
Robert Cribb, staff reporters and Dale Brazao
The largest daycare corporation in the world – often criticized for cutting care to raise profits – is bringing its controversial form of big-box privatized child care to Canada.
Nicknamed "Fast Eddy," Australian-based entrepreneur Edmund Groves, who holds Canadian citizenship, is behind a move to purchase daycares in Ontario, Alberta and B.C.
Source:
Toronto Star

- Go to the Ontario Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm
- Go to the Non-Governmental Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd2.htm

New from the C.D. Howe Institute:

Falling Poverty Rates, Rising Employment among Poor
Reflect Social Policy Success: C.D. Howe Institute (PDF file - 34K, 2 pages)
Communiqué
October 18, 2007
Anti-poverty initiatives over the last decade in Canada have been successful, mainly by increasing employment among the poor, according to a new study released by the C.D. Howe Institute. In Reducing Poverty: What has Worked, and What Should Come Next, author John Richards finds that policies that target employment for the poor, along with improved labor market conditions, have been key to reducing poverty in Canada.

Complete report:

Reducing Poverty:
What has Worked, and What Should Come Next (PDF file - 590K, 32 pages)
C.D. Howe Institute Commentary by John Richards
October 2007

Source:
C.D. Howe Institute
"The C.D. Howe Institute is Canada’s leading independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit economic policy research institution. Its individual and corporate members are drawn from business, universities and the
professions."

Related links:

Tough love gets results, lifting more Canadians out of poverty
October 19, 2007
Tough love works. True, the disconcerting images of poverty in Canada -- shabby panhandlers who camp out on upscale sidewalks, and the urban wasteland that is the Downtown Eastside -- might be more in your face than ever. But, hidden from view in homes that look a little better than they used to, the lot of most lower-income Canadians has been steadily improving for a decade or more.
Source:
Vancouver Sun

Riposte from John Stapleton*:

"The negative mention of MISWAA recommendations in Richards' paper is interesting insofar as he intimates that the recommended changes are not required in a robust economy that creates low income jobs that low income adults can easily access. One of MISWAA's central principles was that of fairness. We were not ultimately looking at what civil society and governments can get away with in a good economy - we wanted to ensure that the right programs and policies were in place for the inevitability of tougher times at the trough of economic cycles while ensuring that all members of society are able to benefit from our economy, regardless of the times."
----------------------------------
*John Stapleton was Research Director of the
Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working Age Adults (MISWAA)
[The C.D. Howe commentary disses the recommendations found in the final report of the Task Force (PDF file - 282K, 68 pages).]

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

<begin "nonpartisan" rant>
I have to laugh (not the genuine ha-ha laughter, but the jaundiced one) when I see the expression "nonpartisan" in the description of the Institute (from the C.D. Institute blurb in the report). They're about as non-partisan as their West Coast brothers-in-arms, the Fraser Institute. They didn't fool Wikipedia, though --- here's their take on the Institute: "The C.D. Howe Institute is a Canadian economic and social think tank based in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is non-profit, officially non-partisan, and a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency. However, it is funded mainly by large corporations, and generally advocates market-oriented economic policies such as tax cuts.(bolding added)" [Source]
I like the way Wikipedia adds the word "officially" as a nuance to the Institute's own description of itself as nonpartisan...
</end "nonpartisan" rant>

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

- Go to the Social Research Organizations (II) in Canada page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/research2.htm

Fact Check:
Does anybody really know how many Torontonians rely on food banks?
October 17, 2007
The plight of the urban poor is one of the Toronto Star's most cherished issues—so much so, apparently, that of late they've taken to cloning them.
Source:
Macleans Magazine

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

Save Low Income Housing Coalition - Vancouver
The Save Low Income Housing Coalition is working to preserve and increase low-income housing units in the Greater Vancouver Area and to raise the rates of shelter allowance for income assistance recipients. Active coalition members include non-profit, staffed as well as volunteer-based community groups. Many of us are advocates and some of us are residents localized in the Downtown Eastside area.

- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (C-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk3.htm

NOTE: the press release is available in English and French, but the report itself is only in French (see the link below "Document").

Income inequality down between 1979 and 1989,
and back up slightly between 1989 and 2004
Communiqué
Québec, October 2, 2007 – In Québec, the level of inequality in disposable income rose slightly between the cyclical peak of 1989 and the year 2004 (+ 1.4 points). That increase was due to the one in the level of inequality in market income, not offset by tax and transfers. (...) This report presents a detailed historical perspective of disposable income inequality, measured using the Gini coefficient. The focus is on the contributions to the inequality of the income components: market income, tax and government transfers.

Version française:

Après avoir diminué entre 1979 et 1989,
l’inégalité de revenu a légèrement remonté entre 1989 et 2004
Communiqué
Québec, le 2 octobre 2007 – Au Québec, le niveau d'inégalité du revenu disponible a augmenté légèrement entre le sommet conjoncturel de 1989 et 2004 (+ 1,4 point). Cette augmentation est due à celle du niveau d'inégalité du revenu de marché, non compensée par l'impôt et les transferts. (...) Le rapport présente une revue chronologique détaillée de l’inégalité du revenu disponible, mesurée à l’aide du coefficient de Gini. L’accent est mis sur les contributions à l’inégalité des composantes de revenu que sont le revenu de marché, l’impôt et les transferts gouvernementaux.

Document:

L'inégalité de revenu au Québec 1979-2004
Les contributions de composantes de revenu selon le cycle économique (fichier PDF - 724 Ko, 65 pages)
Mise à jour : 2 octobre 2007
Source:
Institut de la statistique du Québec

- Go to the Québec Links (English) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qce.htm
- Rendez-vous à la page de liens de recherche sociale au Québec: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/qcbkmrk.htm

Twelve recent reports on panhandling (special focus on Winnipeg)
Click the link above to access 20 reports of the Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation at the Institute of Urban Studies (University of Winnipeg).
The titles of the 12 most recent reports appear below; click the link above to access these studies and more...
* Why Panhandlers are on the Streets of North American Cities (June 2007)
* Who Panhandles in Winnipeg? (June 2007)
* Panhandling in Winnipeg Project: Mapping Methodology (June 2007)
* Location of Panhandling Activity in Winnipeg (June 2007)
* Panhandling Alone or in Groups: What is the Approach in Winnipeg? (June 2007)
* When Panhandlers are Active in Downtown Winnipeg (June 2007)
* Different Groups' Perception of Panhandling in Winnipeg (June 2007)
* Legislative Approaches to Panhandling (June 2007)
* Program Approaches to Panhandling (July 2007)
* Housing Circumstances of Panhandlers in Winnipeg (July 2007)
* Does Panhandling Provide a Living (July 2007)
* Why do Panhandlers Panhandle in Winnipeg? (September 2007)

Source:
Publications / Research Highlights
[ Journal articles, research reports ] ===> See also : Background and Resource Documents * Community Briefs
[ Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Adaptation ]
[ Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg ]

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

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 2007 - October 17
- the theme for 2007 is People Living in Poverty as Agents of Change: 20th Anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Headquarters observance of International Day Against Poverty 17 October, to be part of global mobilization
"Stand Up against Poverty" Event Will Seek to Break World Record (PDF file - 48K, 2 pages)
News Release
October 11, 2007

Source:
Social Perspective on Development Branch
[ part of the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) ]
[ part of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) ]

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

October 17, World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty

20th anniversary of the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty

Stand Up, Speak Out
On October 17, 2007 — the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty — join millions around the world as they STAND UP and SPEAK OUT to Make Poverty History. STAND UP is an innovative and exciting challenge issued by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and the United Nations Millennium Campaign.
- incl. links to:
*How do I STAND UP on October 16-17?
*When should the Stand Up moment take place?
*Where do I register to publicize my event?
*Calendar of Stand Up Events in Canada
* Additional Resources
Source:
Make Poverty History Canada

Strong Leadership. A Better Canada
Speech from the Throne outlines government’s agenda for better, stronger, safer Canada
16 October 2007
"(...) Under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Government of Canada is pursuing a mandate based on five core priorities, including:
* A Proud and Sovereign Canada
* A Strong Federation
* A Prosperous Future
*A Safe and Secure Canada
* A Healthy Environment for Canadians
(...)"

Frequently-Asked Questions about the Throne Speech
*What is it? * Why is it important? * Who delivers it? * Why the Governor General? * Who is the 'Usher of the Black Rod'? * What happens afterward?

Throne speech zeroes in on taxes, crime, extending Afghan mission
October 16, 2007
The Conservative government unveiled its top priorities for the upcoming parliamentary session Tuesday night, promising major tax cuts, a vote to extend the Afghan mission until at least 2011 and new crime legislation. Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean delivered the speech from the throne, which, if defeated in House of Commons, would trigger an election.
Source:
CBC

Related Web/News/Blog links:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"Throne Speech, Canada, October 16"
- Web search results page
- News search results page
- Blog Search Results page
Source:
Google.ca

- Go to the General Federal Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fed2.htm

What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

October 19, 2007
Consumer Price Index, September 2007
Owing largely to higher gasoline prices in September 2007 compared with low levels in September 2006, consumer prices rose by 2.5% during the same period. This was a sharp acceleration from the 1.7% increase posted in August. Excluding gasoline, consumer prices rose by a more moderate 2.0% between September 2006 and September 2007.

October 19, 2007
Current economic conditions
The rich get rich and the poor get poorer. In the meantime...

October 18, 2007
University tuition fees, 2007/2008
Students attending Canadian universities for undergraduate studies this fall faced a smaller increase in tuition fees than they did last year. On average, full-time undergrads are paying $4,524 in the 2007/2008 academic year, up 2.8% from the previous year.

October 18, 2007
Homicides, 2006
The national homicide rate dropped 10% in 2006, following increases in each of the previous two years. The number of homicides committed with a firearm fell for the first time in four years in 2006, according to a detailed analysis of homicide data.

October 16, 2007
Victim services, 2005/2006
About 400,000 victims of crime sought assistance from 589 victim services agencies between April 1, 2005, and March 31, 2006, according to a new report. These agencies reported having served about 161,000 female and 48,000 male victims. The victim's sex was not provided for the remaining 190,000 victims. Data came from the Victim Services Survey (VSS), which enumerated a total of 830 victim service agencies and 9 criminal injuries compensation programs identified as providing formal services to victims of crime. While responses were received from 697 of these agencies, some agencies did not respond to certain questions because the information was either not applicable or not available.

Related link:

Victim Services in Canada: National, Provincial and Territorial Fact Sheets, 2005/2006
Until recently, there were no nationally available data on the number and types of victim service agencies in Canada. In an effort to fill this information gap, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics through funding from Justice Canada’s Policy Centre for Victim Issues, conducted its first national survey of various types of victim services in 2003. Recognizing the need to monitor the number and types of victim service agencies and to address emerging issues in the field of victim services, the Victim Services Survey was repeated in 2005/2006.
- includes links (in the left margin of the page) to a National Fact Sheet and fact sheets for the provinces and territories

- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk2.htm4

Freezing fees is not the answer : Putting a brake on fees doesn't help more low-income students
get into school and merely starves universities of resources, Sean Junor argues
October 16, 2007
Over the past four years our federal and provincial governments have increased spending on student loans, grants and education-related tax credits by more than $1.4-billion, boosting the total to a record $5.7-billion. Most of the new money is intended to reduce costs for students — by freezing tuition fees, for instance — and entice recent graduates to reside in their jurisdictions through graduate tax credits. Governments seem to prefer providing benefits to people already engaged in post-secondary education rather than assisting those most in need. In British Columbia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, every dollar of new money has been invested in universal student-support measures instead of need-based ones. In some of the cases, lower-income students are actually worse off. The so-called "welfare wall" is not easy to navigate around.
Source:
The Globe and Mail

- Go to the Education Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/education.htm
- Go to the Canadian Universities and Colleges Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/univbkmrk.htm

What's New - from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) - University of Toronto

The Childcare Resource and Research Unit offers a free weekly "e-mail news notifier" service.
Here's the content of the latest issue of this bulletin.

For more information about this service, including subscription information,
see http://www.childcarecanada.org

19-Oct-07

---------------------------------------------------
What's New
---------------------------------------------------

A REVIEW OF THE APPROACH TO SETTING NATIONAL STANDARDS AND
ASSURING THE QUALITY OF CARE IN AUSTRALIAN CHILD CARE SERVICES
Final report from the Australian Review of the Child Care National Standards Project.7
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110391

THRONE SPEECH SLAMS THE DOOR ON NATIONAL CHILD CARE PROGRAM
Press release from Code Blue for Child Care and the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada responds to the federal Throne Speech.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110388

SUPPORTING PARENTS TO CARE AND EARN: AN ECONOMIC PRIORITY THAT CAN’T BE IGNORED
Submission from the Human Early Learning Partnership (UBC) to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance’s pre-budget consultations calls for expansion of parental leave and child care services.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110389

--------------------------------------------------
Child care in the news
--------------------------------------------------

Canada deserves big thinking [CA]
Toronto Star, 19 Oct 07
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110386

None dare call it child care [US]
New York Times, 18 Oct 07
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110383

Serious about child care? [CA-NB]
Fredericton Daily Gleaner, Oct 17 07
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110387

Child care advocates keeping an eye on the Throne Speech [CA]
Soo News, 14 Oct 07
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110385

The kid business [AU]
60 Minutes Australia, 7 May 06
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=110384

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This message was forwarded through the Childcare Resource
and Research Unit e-mail news notifier. For information on the
CRRU e-mail notifier, including instructions for (un)subscribing,
see http://www.childcarecanada.org

The Childcare Resource and Research Unit
University of Toronto, Canada
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Related Links:

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

Link to the CRRU home page:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) - University of Toronto

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

Poverty Dispatch (U.S). ===> the content of this link changes twice a week
- links to news items from the American press about poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.

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

This week's issues of Poverty Dispatch:

October 18, 2007
* Medicaid Reform - Florida
* State Children's Health Insurance Program
* Housing Subsidies - Kentucky, Alaska
* Affordable Housing - Los Angeles, CA
* Food Assistance and Emergency Food Aid - New York
* Federal Poverty Guideline and Program Eligibility
* The Low-income and Higher Costs for Services
* Anti-Poverty Programs - Philadelphia, PA
* Social Services ID Requirement Legislation - Pennsylvania
* Report: Cost of Living - California
* Minimum Wage Increase - Florida

October 15, 2007
* State Children's Health Insurance Program
* Editorial: Child Poverty - Milwaukee, WI
* Low-income Housing Funding - Milwaukee, WI
* High School Graduation Exit Exam - Indiana
* State Computer Systems - Washington, Ohio
* Counting the Homeless - Los Angeles, CA
* Mentorship Program for Homeless Families - Denver, CO
* North Carolina Child Health Report Card
* Study: Religion and Outcomes for Disadvantaged Children
* New Orleans School System
* Income Inequality

Search Poverty Dispatches

IRP compiles and distributes Poverty Dispatches, links to Web-based news items dealing with poverty, welfare reform, and related topics twice a week. Each Dispatch lists links to current news in popular print media. Persons wishing to receive Poverty Dispatches by e-mail should send a request to rsnell@ssc.wisc.edu.

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to two dispatches a week back to June 2006

Poverty Dispatch Digest Archive - archive of weekly digests* of dispatches from August 2005 to May 2006
(*For a few years prior to the creation of this new web page for the Dispatch, I was compiling a weekly digest of the e-mails and redistributing the digest to my mailing list with IRP's permission.
This is my own archive of weekly issues of the digest back to August 2005, and most of them have 50+ links per issue. I'll be deleting this archive from my site gradually, as the links to older articles expire.)

- 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

U.S.

Improving Work Supports
Closing the financial gap for low-wage workers and their families
by Nancy K. Cauthen
October 2, 2007
EPI Briefing Paper #198
HTML version
PDF version (368K, 32 pages)
Low-wage workers and their families face rising levels of economic insecurity. Analysts estimate that anywhere from a quarter to a third of U.S. workers—35 to 46 million—hold low-wage jobs that provide few prospects for advancement and wage growth. Further, such jobs typically offer few of the employer-sponsored benefits—such as health insurance, paid sick leave, retirement plans, and the flexibility to deal with family needs—that higher-income workers often take for granted. (...) Government “work support” benefits—such as earned income tax credits, child care assistance, public health insurance coverage, and housing assistance—can help low-wage workers close the gap between insufficient earnings and basic expenses. And there is now abundant research evidence that work supports positively affect employment outcomes and family incomes, which in turn benefit children.

Source:
Agenda for Shared Prosperity - Economic Policy Institute
The American people need an economic agenda that will spur growth, reduce insecurity, and provide broadly shared prosperity. Drawing upon some of the best informed and most innovative experts, the Agenda for Shared Prosperity will advance an economic program that is comprehensive, understandable, and workable.

- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm

Tens of Millions of Families with Low-Wage Workers Fall Into Gap Left by Employers and Government
Nearly 41 million people in working families cannot afford basics like health care, housing, or child care, even with public work supports.
Press Release
October 10, 2007
Washington, DC--Low wages, inadequate benefits, and limited work supports leave one-in-five people (nearly 41 million) in working families struggling to make ends meet. According to a study released today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC, and the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

National report:

Bridging the Gaps: A Picture of How Work Supports Work in Ten States (PDF file - 1.3MB, 47 pages)
October 2007
"...new findings on how well six work supports (child care assistance, Earned Income Tax Credit, Food Stamps, housing (public housing and section 8), Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Program, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) provide working families with the opportunity to bridge the gaps between their earnings and a basic standard of living."

Technical Report (PDF file - 1.1MB, 88 pages)

Podcast

Source:
Center for Economic and Policy Research
The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) was established in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives.

- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm

A child rights approach to child poverty : a discussion paper (Word file - 133K, 12 pages) - Europe
Brussels
September 2007
“Member States should tackle child poverty within the framework of their commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Adopting a child rights’ approach to policy development is key to recognising the position of children and young people in society”
(Eurochild Key Messages 2006 based on a review of the 2006-08 national reports on strategies for social protection and social inclusion)

But what do we mean by a child rights approach? How does such an approach change the way we view child poverty and monitor its effects? What are the implications for policy making when child poverty is addressed through the prism of the objectives of the UN C4onvention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)? What role can the EU play in this?
These questions are addressed in the following discussion paper, prepared by Rita Maria Sousa Fernandes1. The ideas presented do not provide definitive answers but they aim to stimulate debate. Most EU member states have set tackling child poverty as an immediate priority. At the same time, all member states have signed up to the UNCRC. It is crucial to look at why it is important to marry these two agendas, and how it can best be done.
Source:
Eurochild
Eurochild is an active network of organisations and individuals working in and across Europe to improve the quality of life of children and young people. Eurochild’s work is underpinned by the principles enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Also from Eurochild:

Fact Sheet on Child Poverty in the EU (Word file - 1.9MB, 6 pages)
September 2007
- includes information and figures about various forms, areas and reasons for child poverty

Monthly e-News Bulletin
"Promoting the welfare and rights of children and young people"
- links to newsletter issues back to 2004; you can subscribe to receive this newsletter by email.
- September 2007 issue of the Bulletin (PDF file - 284K, 20 pages)

Ending Child Poverty within the EU (PDF file - 4.7MB, 104 pages)
January 2007
"...an in-depth analysis of the national action plans on social protection and social inclusion by all 27 EU member states from the point of view of children and young people."

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

From the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)

18 October 2007 - CRINMAIL 925

* CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: Ending Legalised Violence against Children - Global Report 2007 [publication]
* UNITED STATES: Concerns regarding abuse and death in programmes for troubled youth [publication]
* CZECH REPUBLIC: Possessing child porn becomes criminal offence [news]
* SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: Malaria and Children: Progress in Intervention Coverage [publication]
* NORWAY: Strengthen commitment to ending violence against the girl child [event]
* UNITED KINGDOM: Equality for All? Annual children's rights conference 2007 [event]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**
**QUIZ**

Earlier issues of CRINMAIL
- links to 200+ earlier 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.

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

You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

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Cheers!
Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

1. Follow your dream! Unless it's the one where you're at work in your underwear during a fire drill.
2. If you always take time to stop and smell the roses, sooner or later you'll inhale a bee.
3. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me alone.
4. If you don't like my driving, don't call anyone. Just take another road. That's why the highway department made so many of them.
5. If a motorist cuts you off, just turn the other cheek. Nothing gets the message across like a good mooning.
6. When I'm feeling down, I like to whistle. It makes the neighbor's dog run to the end of his chain and gag himself.
7. It's always darkest before the dawn. So if you're going to steal the neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
8. A handy telephone tip: Keep a small chalkboard near the phone. That way, when a salesman calls, you can hold the receiver up to it and run your fingernails across it until he hangs up.
9. Each day I try to enjoy something from each of the four food groups: the bonbon group, the salty-snack group, the caffeine group and the "What-ever-the-thing-in-the-tinfoil-in-the-back-of-the-fridge-is".
10. Into every life some rain must fall. Usually when your car windows are down.

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