Decades of conservative attempts to scale back Social Security and Medicare, by limiting the program's universality through means testing and drastic benefit cuts, have failed. Thus, after numerous unsuccessful attempts at dismantling the U.S.'s universal old-age welfare state, or even meaningfully restraining its growth, conservative critics have…

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an improved measure of financial poverty, based on household consumption and wealth as well as income. Data come from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) Survey, which appears to be the first national socio-economic panel survey to provide longitudinal data on all three measures of…

The inscription on the internal pedestal of the Statue of Liberty proclaiming "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" today is an ideal of another age. Compared with those of other developing countries, U.S. poverty rates are extraordinarily high, as are the odds of remaining in poverty intergenerationally. No longer do…

In this article, the author reports from the World Social Forum, the annual gathering of campaigning groups and activists who believe that "another world is possible." The theme of the seventh forum, "People's struggles, people's alternatives," united 50,000 people from diverse cultures and backgrounds who gathered in Nairobi…

Investigates the concept of social welfare and the achievement of social welfare goals in China, in the context of the unique political and social background of the country. Social welfare is seen more as a means to attain socialist ends rather than as an end in itself. (JAC)

This paper focuses on the situation of immigrant workers and their families in the Federal Republic of Germany. It discusses the social conditions in which they live and the social policies and programs instigated by the German government in response. (Author/AM)

Describes current living conditions of children in the United States, and argues that few tax dollars are spent on children. Discusses current policy on assisting low-income families with children, and suggests the establishment of national minimums for children in the areas of income support, education, and health care. (MM)

Designed to facilitate research, preparation, and presentation of arguments for the national debate topic, this manual summarizes trends in poverty over the past 24 years, examines reasons for changes in the rate of poverty, discusses demographic characteristics of the poverty population, and analyzes methods used to calculate the number of poor…

Alaska faces a problem that is easy to explain but hard to solve: state government is spending more than it collects. The budget crisis looms because oil production, which supplies 85% of the state's general fund revenues, will soon begin to fall as the Prudhoe Bay oil field is depleted. This paper examines the potential deficit and the effect it…

This paper investigates the real living standards and poverty status of U.S. children in the 1990s compared to the children in 17 other nations, including Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, and Australia. The analysis is based on the Luxembourg Income Study database. It was found that American children have lower real spendable income than do comparable…

The hearings reported in this document focused on the need to reform the welfare system and the effects those reforms could have on welfare recipients. Issues addressed by the subcommittee members and the witnesses were the following: (1) why do one-fifth of the nation's children live in poverty in spite of welfare programs; (2) can the…

These hearings of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs had the purpose of looking into the effectiveness of the various food distribution systems on the reservation. Testimony was heard from the following witnesses: Mr. Richard Wilson, chairman; and Mr. Pat Lee, legal counsel Oglala Sioux Tribe; accompanied by Mr. Gene…

The proposed revision of the methodology for measuring poverty in the United States would put the nonmetropolitan poverty rate lower than the metropolitan rate, a reversal due mostly to the cost-of-housing adjustment. Details projected changes in the measured poverty of nonmetropolitan and metropolitan population groups. (TD)

Vietnam's social policy reforms in the transition to a market economy included the introduction of fees for primary and secondary school in the late 1980s. Using data from the Viet Nam Living Standards Surveys, this paper examines how the increasing costs of education to households have impacted on school enrollment between 1993 and 1998, giving…

At this hearing on abolishing poverty among older Americans, 11 witnesses testified regarding the needs of elderly and disabled Americans. Of particular concern was the efficacy of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income as programs to reduce poverty and the special concerns of elderly blacks. Most witnesses spoke about the negative…