Canadian Social Research Newsletter
July 25, 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 2,305 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...
************************************************************************
IN THIS ISSUE OF THE
CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH NEWSLETTER:
Canadian content
|
| 1. HANDS OFF THE
CENSUS LONG FORM QUESTIONNAIRE: Act III, scene 1 --- Census Watch - List of organizations AGAINST and SUPPORTING Stephen Harper --- Uses of Census Long-form data – Question Justification - July 19 --- StatsCan head quits over census dispute - July 21 --- Full text of Munir Sheikh's resignation letter --- Statistics Shuffle (video : the Census questionnaire debate) - July 19 --- Building a Knowledge Infrastructure to Support Place-Based Policy - March 2010 --- John Campey and the Data Hounds say Count Me In! --- More media coverage... |
-----------------------------
How low can you go??
Having unsuccessfully tried the Hogan's Heroes defence ,
Stephen Harper and Tony Clement decide to try the
What's-the-matter-Lassie-is-Timmy-stuck-in-the-abandoned-mine
diversion.
<Seriously, well done!>
-----------------------------
NOTE: The 2011 Census questionnaire
section of the Statistical links page was becoming so large that it
made sense to create a special page for links to resources on this
issue:
- Go to the Census 2011 questionnaire links links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/2011_census_questionnaire.htm
(145+ links as at July 25/10)
NOTE: the link above includes all of the content that's above the next red horizontal
bar below.
---
|
---
|
---
Stats
crash at the corner of ideology and reason
Munir Sheikh had no choice but to resign as head of Statistics Canada
By Jeffrey Simpson
July 23, 2010
(...) The Statistics Canada fight is not the usual clash of competing
political visions, of left against right, of Conservatives against
progressives. Rather, this is a fight about rational decision-making
that requires the best fact-based evidence available against a reliance
on ideological nostrums that scorn facts and reason when they stand in
the way of those nostrums.
Source:
Globe and Mail
---
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------
When
Smart Parties Make Stupid Decisions
By Paul Saurette Associate Professor of Political Studies, University
of Ottawa
July 23, 2010
The Harper government's decision to make the long-form census voluntary
is terrible policy, but there is method in their madness.
(...) One of the core beliefs of many conservative intellectuals and
activists is that decades of Liberal dominance in Ottawa has created an
octopus-like configuration of arms-length organizations with mandates
to mine statistical data (much of it collected by StatsCan) to discover
inequalities and other structural patterns, and then to lobby the
government and Canadian society to reduce these inequalities through
social programs. This drives many conservatives up the wall for many
reasons...
(...) Many argue that changing the census policy is simply an example
of the government acting the bully – arbitrarily enforcing bad policy
because they are too short-sighted and stubborn to appreciate the
consequences of this policy. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Rather than underestimating the importance and impact of this policy,
the government understands precisely the central role this change has
in their long-term goal of cultivating a very different political
culture in Canada.
Source:
The Mark - "The people and
ideas behind the headlines"
COMMENT: This is one Hell of a scary analysis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The 2006 questionnaires:
* The
short census questionnaire (PDF -
5K, 3 pages)
* The
long census questionnaire (PDF - 1MB, 40 pages)
Source:
2006
Census questionnaires and guides
[ Census
of Canada ]
[ Statistics
Canada ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
StatsCan head quits over census dispute
July 21, 2010
Munir Sheikh, the head of Statistics Canada, resigned Wednesday over
the federal government's decision to scrap the mandatory long-form
census. "I want to take this opportunity to comment on a technical
statistical issue which has become the subject of media discussion.
This relates to the question of whether a voluntary survey can become a
substitute for a mandatory census," Sheikh said in a release. "It
cannot," he said. "Under the circumstances, I have tendered my
resignation to the prime minister."
Source:
CBC News
-------------
Thank
you Munir Sheikh
July 22, 2010
By Tracey Lauriault
Our Chief Statistician Resigned Yesterday. A first for Canada.
Full text of Munir Sheikh's resignation letter, which was posted
briefly on the Statistics Canada website until Steve made them take it
down.
Source:
datalibre.ca
-------------
Thanks for that, Mr. Sheikh.
You are a man of integrity, and a true public servant.
Related link:
Statistics Shuffle (video)
["SYCOPHANCY" : See "Fraser Institute"]
July 19, 2010
Major changes to census collection in our country has [sic] many groups
concerned, including here in Alberta. Instead of a mandatory long-form
census the federal government will now supply a shorter, voluntary
form. The feds say they're responding to complaints that the census
infringes on privacy rights, critics say the information collected is
vital for health care, our economy and for long term municipal
planning. How critical is census information? Will the quality and
usability of the information suffer? And how will you be impacted?
Joining us for this conversation are Niels Veldhuis, director
of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute and Derek Cook, a
research and social planner with the city of Calgary.
Source:
Alberta Prime Time
[ CTV Globemedia ]
NOTE: My reference to The Fraser's servile flattery is deserved, IMHO.
At last count, it was Stephen Harper and the Fraser Institute vs. the
rest of the frikkin' country.
[Where's, oh where, is Marge Princess Warrior when we need her??]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Also from Derek Cook
of the City of Calgary:
Donec
Prohibiti, Procidite*:
Building a Knowledge Infrastructure to Support Place-Based Policy
Derek Cook
March 2010
The author of this article in the March 2010 issue of the Policy
Research Initiative's Horizons magazine contends that the Harper
government's decision to replace the long form Census questionnaire is
completely at odds with the recent direction of Statscan and the data
user community. The article discusses a developing partnership with
Statscan over recent years that is incongruent with the new direction
set down by the ruling Conservative party. The
article speaks about some recent work of the Community Social Data
Strategy and the Quality of Life Reporting System on the joint
development of the Municipal and Community Data Access Initiative.
"Through these initiatives, communities work collaboratively with
Statistics Canada to increase access to information and more
effectively engage with senior orders of government."
[* Donec prohibiti, procidite = "proceed
until apprehended"]
Source:
Sustainable
Places
Horizons, March 2010 <===
click for links to 15 more articles on place-based sustainable
development
(Volume 10 Number 4)
[ Sustainable
Development Research and Analysis ]
[ Policy
Research Initiative
The Policy Research Initiative (PRI) is a policy research organization
for the whole of the federal government specialized in early stage work
on issues involving several federal departments. The PRI bridges the
span between the policy research community inside and outside of
government and the policy development community within government on
issues... ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Creating Harper Hysteria (note the comment about
a “lame protest song”):
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/07/21/kevin-libin-census-move-provokes-harper-hysteria/
The not-so-lame-at-all protest song:
John
Campey
and the Data Hounds
say Count Me In! (YouTube video)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Census-related news from the
Canadian Council on Social Development
(CCSD):
[Click the link above to access the content below.]
* Ottawa city council voted to petition the
federal government to keep the long census form mandatory [July 21,
2010]
* Read the growing list of organizations
opposed to the census changes [July 21, 2010]
* Surprising coalition of leaders seek a
meeting with Industry Minister, Tony Clement, regarding the Census -
read the letter [July 19, 2010]
* Keeping Canadians in the Dark - Harper's
decision to scrap the Long Form Census [July 13, 2010]
* Several publications lash out at Harper's
census decision, including:
--- Family History for Beginners
--- Toronto Star: Tories eliminate compulsory long census form
--- Macleans: Alarm on cuts to detailed census questionnaire spreads to
business groups
--- The Montreal Gazette: Census overhaul rethought Historians,
genealogists raised outcry
--- Social Policy in Ontario: Wrong move on census
--- Datalibre.ca: 2011 Census severely slashed
--- MaCleans: Former StatsCan head slams census decision by Tories
--- Don't count on long census data: Tories scrub mandatory form
--- Languages watchdog to probe census change
* Sign the Declaration of the Voices-Voix
Coalition [July 12, 2010]
* Changes to the 2011 Census questionnaire -
Letter to the Minister of Industry [July 5, 2010]
* Government tries to undermining free
expression & human rights - Contribute Your Viewpoint [June 17,
2010]
Source:
Canadian Council on Social Development
The Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) is a
non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, which was founded in
1920. Our mission is to develop and promote progressive social policies
inspired by social justice, equality and the empowerment of individuals
and communities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
From the
Caledon Institute of Social Policy:
Information
Blackout (PDF - 30K, 1 page)
Letter to the editor in the Globe and Mail on July 9, 2010
By Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson
(...) In 2011, the federal government will not be mounting the
Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, the major source of
national information on persons with disabilities.
(...) Social
Security Statistics: Canada and Provinces is another treasure
trove that has quietly bit the dust: It has not been updated since
2002-03. Data on program beneficiaries and expenditures is essential
for policy planning and cost estimates.
Cuts to national sources of information are a
form of social policy by stealth.
They are made quietly under the radar screen but their impact can be
irreparable.
Source:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy
NOTE: For more detailed information about Social
Security Statistics: Canada and Provinces, see
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/personal.htm
(almost halfway down the page)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Latest media coverage of the Census questionnaire issue:
July 22, 2010
From:
Jennefer Laidley
Interim Research and Policy Analyst
Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)
ISAC website:
www.incomesecurity.org
ISAC's Social Assistance Review website:
www.sareview.ca
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
You may wish to vote on the Census question.
T here are currently a couple of polls, one on the Globe site and one
on the CBC:
1) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/glob
e-online-poll-census/article1648059/
2) http://www.cbc.ca/news/pointofview/2010/
07/census-is-it-an-invasion-of-privacy.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Census:
Perhaps the biggest news is the resignation of the Chief Statistician, Munir Sheikh:
CBC:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/21/statistics-canada-quits.html
Star:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/census/article/838401--statscan-chief-quits-over-census-furor
Post:
http://www.nationalpost.com/StatsCan+boss+resigns+over+changes+long+form+census/3305442/story.html
On the implications:
GREAT column from Travers:
http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/838589
Globe editorial:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/federal-statistical-folly-in-full-view/article1647903/
The Opposition parties are calling for a reversal of the decision:
CBC:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/22/statscan-census-tories-.html
Post:
http://www.nationalpost.com/Tories+grilled+over+census+changes/3309773/story.html
But there has been all kinds of other coverage of this issue over the last two days – far too much for me to include here (I can’t keep up!). But here are a few juicy ones:
The history of Canada ’s 345-year-old Census:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/a-history-of-counting-canadians/article1647613/
Ten ways the Census affects regular Canadians:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ten-ways-the-census-could-affect-you/article1646825/
Tony Clement gives his reasoning:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/tony-clement-clears-the-air-on-census/article1647055/
Carol Goar on the alienation of voters:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/838087--goar-busy-tony-clement-is-alienating-voters
Decision gets a drubbing in Quebec :
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/survey-says-census-plans-crash-and-burn-in-quebec/article1647660/
Provinces not pleased:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/provinces-rally-against-ottawa-as-anger-over-census-mounts/article1646827/
Neither is Toronto Planning:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/07/22/toronto-long-census545.html
Creating Harper Hysteria (note the comment about
a “lame protest song”):
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/07/21/kevin-libin-census-move-provokes-harper-hysteria/
Here’s that “lame protest song”, by the way,
which has been featured in most major media for the last couple of days:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HThxOTtWNR0&feature=related
----------------------
- Go to the Census 2011 questionnaire links links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/2011_census_questionnaire.htm
| 2. New/Recent from
the Caledon Institute of Social Policy: --- Reconstructing Social Assistance in New Brunswick: Vision and Action - July 2010 --- Breaking down the welfare wall in New Brunswick - March 2010 |
New from the
Caledon Institute of Social Policy:
Reconstructing
Social Assistance in New Brunswick: Vision and Action (PDF
- 77K, 19 pages)
By Ken Battle, Michael Mendelson, Sherri Torjman
July 2010
The Government of New Brunswick has launched a
comprehensive reform of its social assistance system as a key element
of its poverty reduction strategy. This report contains two papers. The
first is a vision paper written for New Brunswick by the Caledon
Institute that sets out a philosophy and key elements of reform. The
second is an account of New Brunswick's plans and actions to implement
the vision for reform.
-------
Breaking
down the welfare wall in New Brunswick (PDF - 34K, 2 pages)
March 2010
By Ken Battle, Sherri Torjman and Michael Mendelson
[ Version française : Briser
le mur de l'aide sociale (PDF)]
This op ed was published as a Globe and Mail online commentary. It
points out that one of the most promising developments in Canadian
social policy is the rise of provincial poverty reduction plans. New
Brunswick recently announced a comprehensive poverty reduction
strategy, which includes fundamental reform of its social assistance
system. The province is taking some important steps in this ambitious
reform including the creation of a provincial working income
supplement. New Brunswick will also extend the length of coverage under
its health card for up to three years to recipients who leave welfare
for work or training. It will launch a prescription drug program, plus
vision and dental care for all low-income children. The op ed
highlights other needed reforms, such as a boost to the New Brunswick
Child Tax Benefit.
Source:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy
Established in 1992, the Caledon Institute of
Social Policy is a social policy think tank. - a private, nonprofit
organization with charitable status. It is supported primarily by the
Maytree Foundation, located in Toronto.
- Go to the Provincial and
Territorial Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
- Go to the New Brunswick Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nbkmrk.htm
| 3. Social
Assistance Statistical Report: 2007 -
Posted July 15 (Federal-Provincial-Territorial Directors of Income Support) |
Social
Assistance Statistical Report: 2007
Posted online July 15, 2010
Prepared by:
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Directors of Income Support
"In recognition of the growing public demand for
comprehensive information on provincial and territorial social
assistance programs and caseloads, the Social Assistance Statistical
Report: 2007 is the fourth annual joint publication by federal,
provincial and territorial governments. The report provides a general
overview of social assistance in Canada, as well as a description of
income support-related/social assistance programs in each jurisdiction.
This report does not include social assistance rates as this
information is currently available to the public on most provincial and
territorial government Web sites."
(Excerpt from Chapter
1 - Summary)
NOTE: Chapter Two of the report is a six-page descriptive overview of social assistance in Canada in 2006-2007, comprising a (very) brief history of federal social assistance since 1966 and general information about welfare eligibility and benefits. Other chapters of the report provide, for each province and territory, information on eligibility (including asset and income exemption levels) and benefits, as well as an impressive number of statistical tables, graphs and charts providing numbers of cases and beneficiaries (time series statistics going back as far as the mid-1990s, depending on the jurisdiction), profile information (age/education/sex of household head, cases by reason for assistance) and even (for most jurisdictions) the percentage of households reporting income.
Complete
report
in one PDF file - (751K, 129 pages)
Links to the three earlier editions of
this report:
* Social
Assistance Statistical Report: 2006
* Social Assistance Statistical Report: 2005
* Social Assistance Statistical Report: 2004
Source:
Social
Policy
[ Human Resources and
Skills Development Canada ]
< Begin social researcher's lament. >
It's great to see the 2007 edition of this report online, but the numbers in this report *are* over three years old --- none of the welfare ripple effects of the economic disaster of 2008 and 2009 are evident in the (March 2007) stats in this report. This really isn't timely enough to help in the policy formulation process, nor is it timely enough to ensure accountability with respect to spending by federal, provincial and territorial governments on Canada's social assistance programs.
So why are timely welfare statistics
important?
To tell us, among other things, how many new welfare cases are "EI
exhaustees" (households whose Employment Insurance benefit period has
expired) and how many are there because they didn't qualify for EI in
the first place. Welfare reporting must be comprehensive AND reasonably
current.
Perhaps it's time to farm out the production of welfare statistics and
related information to an objective, non-politicized third party...
< /End social researcher's lament. >
- Go to the Social Statistics
Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/stats.htm
- Go to the Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm
|
4. What's New in The Daily
[Statistics Canada]: |
Selected content from
The Daily [Statistics Canada]:
July 23, 2010
Consumer Price Index, June 2010
Consumer prices rose 1.0% in the 12 months to June, following a
1.4% increase in May. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, consumer
prices fell 0.2% in June, the same rate of decrease as May.
- includes links to three tables:
* Consumer Price Index and major components, Canada
* Consumer Price Index by province, and for Whitehorse, Yellowknife and
Iqaluit
* Consumer Price Index and major components
Related reports:
The Consumer Price Index, June 2010
PDF
version (522 K, 67 pages)
HTML
version - Table of contents with links to each of the following
sections of the report:
1. Highlights 2. Briefing notes 3. Analysis 4. Tables 5. Charts 6. Data
quality, concepts and methodology 7. Appendices 8. User information 9.
Related products
[ earlier editions of this report ]
Guide to the Consumer Price Index (1998)
Related subjects:
* Prices
and price indexes
*
Consumer price indexes
---
July 22, 2010
Employment
Insurance, May 2010
The number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries
increased for the first time in eight months, rising by 8,600 to
680,100 in May.
- includes three tables:
* Employment Insurance: Statistics by province and territory
* Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits by age group, sex, province
and territory
* Beneficiaries receiving regular benefits by census metropolitan areas
Employment
Insurance Statistics Maps, May 2010
- set of maps presenting the number of regular Employment Insurance
beneficiaries. These maps complete the analysis published
simultaneously in The Daily. The maps show the percentage change in
number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits in the
last 12 months, by Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) and Census
Agglomerations (CAs).
Related subjects
o Labour
o Employment
insurance, social assistance and other transfers
o Non-wage
benefits
[ earlier editions of this report ]
Related link:
More
Unemployment = More EI
Posted by Erin Weir
July 22, 2010
For the first time in eight months, the number of Employment Insurance
(EI) recipients increased in May. We already knew from the Labour Force
Survey that unemployment had increased by just over 8,000 in May. It is
good news that EI expanded by the same amount because it implies that
those who became unemployed that month received benefits. However, it
is worth emphasizing that this EI expansion reflects worsening
unemployment in May as opposed to a policy decision to improve the
program. Unfortunately, EI has dropped off the Canadian political
agenda.
Source:
Relentlessly
Progressive Economics Blog
[ The Progressive
Economics Forum ]
---
July 21, 2010
Study:
Labour market activity among seniors, 1981 to 2006
Between 1996 and 2006, the employment rate for seniors age 65 and older
increased from 12% to 15% for men, and from 4% to 6% for women. These
increases followed declines during the 1980s and 1990s.
Related article:
Labour market activity among seniors
HTML
version
PDF
version (175K, 14 pages)
Related subjects:
* Labour
* Work
transitions and life stages
* Seniors
* Work
and retirement
---
July 21, 2010
Study:
Health-promoting factors and good health among Canadians in mid- to
late life, 2009
A sizeable proportion of people aged 45 or older reported that they
were in good health in 2009, based on their self-perceived general and
mental health, as well as on measures of functional ability and
independence in their daily life.
Summary
of key findings
Full text of article:
HTML
version
PDF
version (969K, 10 pages)
Related subjects:
* Health
* Lifestyle
and social conditions
* Population
and demography
* Population
aging
* Seniors
* Health
and disability among seniors
---
July 20, 2010
Police-reported
crime statistics, 2009
Police-reported crime in Canada continues to decline. Both the volume
and severity of police-reported crime fell in 2009, continuing the
downward trend seen over the past decade.
----------------------------------
And yet:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/prison-construction-costs-to-jump-87099482.html
The increase in prison construction costs make sense to me now.
NOT.
----------
Related subjects:
* Crime
and justice
* Crimes
and offences
More
Police-reported crime statistics
from the Summer 2010 issue of Juristat
---
July 19, 2010
Mortality,
Summary List of Causes, 2006
1. Introduction
2. Highlights
3. Tables
4. Data quality, concepts and methodology
5. Appendices
6. User information
7. Related products
8. PDF
version (1MB, 124 pages)
[ earlier editions of this report ]
---
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
|
5. What's
new from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit - July 25
|
What's new from the
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU):
July 25, 2010
What's new online:
[This section archives documents that
have been featured on the CRRU homepage..]
The nanny business 21 Jul 10 - Global News' Currents documentary series investigates the Live-in Caregiver program; finds cheating, abuse and mistreatment, as well as brave nannies, advocates and parents trying to force change.
Who
cares? Assessing generosity and gender equality in parental leave
policy designs in 21 countries
21 Jul 10
- Study examines parental leave in 21 high-income countries; finds
Canada ranks 6th in generosity of leave, but 15th in the gender
equality of the policy design.
A
global perspective on happiness and fertility
21 Jul 10
- Working paper from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
investigates the fertility-happiness association across 86 countries;
compares results by welfare regime type.
Pascal's
wager: From science to policy on early childhood development
21 Jul 10
- Commentary article from the Canadian Journal of Public Health
discusses the potential of the Early Learning Advisor's report to lead
to a comprehensive ECEC policy in Ontario.
Three
approaches from Europe: Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia
21 Jul 10
- Article from Early Childhood Research and Practice provides a
comparative introduction to Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio and
highlights areas of similarity and contrast.
child care in the news:
[This section features interesting and noteworthy
news
about ECEC and related issues in Canada and internationally.]
· Purchase
of six additional childcare centres advances Edleun's growth strategy
[CA-AB] 21 Jul 10
·
NZ parental leave 'middling'
[NZ] 20 Jul 10
· Letter
to the editor re: Stony Day Care closure
[CA-AB] 20 Jul 10
·
Raise the bar for day cares in Alberta
[CA-AB] 17 Jul 10
·
Province does little to ease parents' child care dilemmas
[CA-AB] 17 Jul 10
·
Upper Canada board, CUPE reach deal
[CA-ON] 17 Jul 10
·
Parental happiness and the welfare state
[US] 6 Jul 10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
|
6. 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:
July 19:
Long-Term Unemployment in the US
HIV Infection Rates in High-Poverty U.S. Cities
July 20:
Low-Income Neighborhoods and Farmers Markets – Minneapolis, MN
Unemployment Rates Fall
July 21:
State Cuts to Home Care Programs
Food Stamps Benefits and Reductions in Other Aid-Indiana
Extension of Jobless Benefits
Social Welfare System – Germany
Mortgage Program For Unemployed Borrowers
July 22:
Aging Youth in Foster Care - Michigan
Rising Cost of Energy Bills – United Kingdom
Changes to Food Stamp Policy – Indiana
Economy Weakened
Increasing Homelessness – Australia
War on Poverty
July 23:
Bilingual Education Helps Children Progress - Vietnam
Minimum Wage Hike Causes Jobless Teens
Unemployment Rates on the Rise
Enrollment Encouraged in Low-Cost Health Care - Indiana
---
Past
Poverty Dispatches
- links to dispatches back to June 2006
---
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
| 7. [United Kingdom]
Allocating social housing: opportunities and challenges - July 2010 (Chartered Institute of Housing) |
Allocating social housing:
opportunities and challenges (PDF -
396K, 43 pages)
By John Thornhill
July 2010
Contents:
1. Summary of the challenges and options
2. What is social housing and what is it for?
3. What are the challenges to the way in which social housing is
allocated?
4. How does social housing work in other countries? (Scandinavia, the
U.S. and Germany only)
5. Options: rethinking allocations in a wider context
6. Aspirations for approaches to allocations
-------------------------------
(Excerpt from the Conclusion):
The election of a new coalition government in the UK ushers in an era
of change and reform which will be significant for the housing sector.
Many changes which will impact on the policies, priorities and
structural landscape of allocations and access to housing can be
expected.
Source:
Chartered Institute of Housing
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is the professional body for
people involved in housing and
communities. We are a registered charity and not-for-profit
organisation. We have a diverse and growing
membership of over 22,000 people – both in the public and private
sectors – living and working in over 20
countries on five continents across the world. We exist to maximise the
contribution that housing professionals
make to the wellbeing of communities.
- Go to the Homelessness and
Housing Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/homeless.htm
- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government)
page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm
|
8.
Hong Kong passes its first-ever minimum wage law - July 17 |
Hong Kong passes first-ever minimum wage law
Rate could be at least $3 (U.S.) an hour in rare departure from
financial hub’s free-market philosophy
July 17, 2010
Hong Kong passed its first-ever minimum-wage law Saturday, a rare
departure from the wealthy Chinese financial hub's free-market
philosophy. The move was hailed by union workers as a victory for the
territory's underpaid working class.No rate has
yet been set, but it appears employers will be required to pay at least
$3 (U.S.) an hour — well short of the rates in the West and low for one
of the most expensive cities in the world. Thousands
of foreign live-in domestic workers also will be excluded from the
deal. But legislator and union organizer Lee
Cheuk-yan said it was symbolic, showing that the city was saying
“goodbye to shameful wages and embraced social justice for workers."
Source:
The Globe and Mail
- Go to the Government Social Research Links in Other Countries page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internat.htm
|
9.
Australian Policy Online - recent content
|
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.
-------------------------------------------------------
Week ending July 25, 2010
Most viewed this week on APO:
1. Tactics in a not-so-knife-edge election
2. Getting perspective on youth mental health
3. Commonwealth Indigenous budget bulletin - July 2010
4. Interventions early in school as a means to improve higher education
outcomes for disadvantaged (particularly low SES) students
5. Climate change, food insecurity and chronic diseases
[You'll find these links on the APO home page.]
-------------------------------------------------------
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
Week ending
July 25, 2010
Most viewed this week:
1. Getting perspective on youth mental
health
2. Interventions early in school as a means to improve higher education
outcomes for disadvantaged (particularly low SES) students
3. Mental health of young people, 2007
4. Marginalized youth, surveillance and public space
5. Sustaining families in challenging times
[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
|
10. CRINMAIL
(Child Rights Information Network - CRIN) |
From the
Child Rights Information Network (CRIN):
Latest issue of CRINMAIL (children's rights newsletter):
21
July 2010, CRINMAIL issue 1184
* In this issue:
Editorial: Toolkit to support child care professionals
* Latest news and reports:
- CRC elections: getting strategic
- Ukraine: call to halt return to 'Soviet style' institutions
- Vatican: children's rights report 13 years overdue
- Corporal punishment: progress in Brazil, Bangladesh
- International AIDS conference
- Violence: Kazakhstan, Iraqi Kurdistan
- Latin America: Inter-American Commission, World Bank
- Also includes:
* World news * Reports * Events * Laws * Issues * Advocacy *
Challenging breaches * Take action * Campaigns * Toolkits
------------------------------------------
Links
to Issues of CRINMAIL
- links to hundreds of 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) ]
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
And, in closing...
-----------------------