Academic literature on the topic 'Human welfare and social reform'
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Journal articles on the topic "Human welfare and social reform"
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Fisher, Karen R., Xiaoyuan Shang, and Megan Blaxland. "Introduction: Moving towards Human Rights Based Social Policies in China." Social Policy and Society 10, no. 1 (December 8, 2010): 67–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474746410000394.
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China is at a turning point in the reform of its social welfare system due to new opportunities and pressures. First, China is in transition to a middle developed country. Fast economic growth has created more wealth for the government and society that could be invested in the social welfare of its citizens. Second, social problems and conflicts have accumulated, partly as a result of past social policies, which were residual only, as was common in Asia (Aspalter, 2006). These residual policies had the primary purpose of securing the economic and political interests of the nation, which were regarded as superior to the interests of individual citizens. The social costs of economic growth at the expense of human rights are widespread and often hidden. In this unsustainable situation, the Chinese public has called for fundamental reforms to China's social policies – not only policies aimed at resolving individual problems, but also reform of the basic principles of the social welfare system as a whole.
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Bratsberg, Bernt, Øystein Hernæs, Simen Markussen, Oddbjørn Raaum, and Knut Røed. "Welfare Activation and Youth Crime." Review of Economics and Statistics 101, no. 4 (October 2019): 561–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_00787.
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We evaluate the impact on youth crime of a welfare reform that tightened activation requirements for social assistance clients. The evaluation strategy exploits administrative individual data in combination with geographically differentiated implementation of the reform. We find that the reform reduced crime among teenage boys from economically disadvantaged families. Stronger reform effects on weekday versus weekend crime, reduced school dropout, and favorable long-run outcomes in terms of crime and educational attainment point to both incapacitation and human capital accumulation as key mechanisms. Despite lowered social assistance take-up, we uncover no indication that loss of income support pushed youth into crime.
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Laruffa, Francesco. "Social investment: Diffusing ideas for redesigning citizenship after neo-liberalism?" Critical Social Policy 38, no. 4 (December 31, 2017): 688–706. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261018317749438.
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Social investment has become the dominant approach to welfare reform in Europe and elsewhere. Scholars supporting this perspective have argued that it represents a paradigm shift from neo-liberalism – defined as the ideology of the minimal state and welfare retrenchment. This article challenges this claim, arguing that this definition of neo-liberalism is simplistic and empirically weak. It states that under a more accurate definition, social investment reflects four characteristics of neo-liberalism: the de-politicisation of the economy and of welfare reform; the economic understanding of the state; the extension of economic rationale to non-economic domains; and the anthropology of human capital. Taking this view, while social investment is preferable to welfare retrenchment, it promotes the same kind of citizenship as neo-liberalism, especially in terms of the marginalisation of the role of democracy in regulating the economy.
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Borodina, Olena. "Egalitarian and market land reforms in the context of basic human rights and public welfare." Ekonomìka ì prognozuvannâ 2021, no. 1 (April 10, 2021): 49–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.15407/eip2021.01.049.
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Based on the generalization and analysis of modern scientific and applied approaches and real results of land transformations in the last century in transition economies, the article reveals the essence of the nature of market and egalitarian land reforms, as well as their goals and general economic results. Egalitarian reform has as its main priority a rapid reduction of rural poverty and development of the new landowners’ skills to build their potential for its implementation in the general societal context. Market-oriented land reform aims at economic efficiency of the market based allocation of resources to ensure the growth of export-oriented agricultural production. Egalitarian land reform focuses on human and the realization of his or her basic rights, while market land reform focuses on the economy. Empirical data on land reforms in China show that their egalitarian nature was based on the creation of a society with equal opportunities of its members in the management of and access to land resources and material benefits obtained from them, and on ensuring a wide spread of the benefits from rural growth in society as a whole. Currently, China is the only country in the world that progressed from a "country of low human development" in 1990 to a "country of high human development" in 2018. The author proves that the purpose of land reform cannot be primitivized to a simple division of land into plots for transfer to private ownership based on free market turnover. Guaranteeing basic human rights and achieving public welfare from a land reform are achieved not only via obtaining land in private ownership, but also via supporting these acts with a fair distribution of control over the production process. Imposing on society a pseudo-scientific concept that land is a commodity that, like an apartment, mobile phone or bag of feed, can be freely bought and sold on market at open auctions, which will consolidate the country's economic power would inevitably lead to even greater income polarization, violation of basic human rights and, consequently, to social confrontations and significant social upheavals. The publication was prepared within research project on "Spatial justice in land use for sustainable development of rural areas" (State Registration No 0121U108142).
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Borodina, Olena. "Egalitarian and market land reforms in the context of basic human rights and public welfare." Economy and forecasting 2021, no. 1 (May 30, 2021): 38–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.15407/econforecast2021.01.038.
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Based on the generalization and analysis of modern scientific and applied approaches and real results of land transformations in the last century in transition economies, the article reveals the essence of the nature of market and egalitarian land reforms, as well as their goals and general economic results. Egalitarian reform has as its main priority a rapid reduction of rural poverty and development of the new landowners' skills to build their potential for its implementation in the general societal context. Market-oriented land reform aims at economic efficiency of the market based allocation of resources to ensure the growth of export-oriented agricultural production. Egalitarian land reform focuses on human and the realization of his or her basic rights, while market land reform focuses on the economy. Empirical data on land reforms in China show that their egalitarian nature was based on the creation of a society with equal opportunities of its members in the management of and access to land resources and material benefits obtained from them, and on ensuring a wide spread of the benefits from rural growth in society as a whole. Currently, China is the only country in the world that progressed from a "country of low human development" in 1990 to a "country of high human development" in 2018. The author proves that the purpose of land reform cannot be primitivized to a simple division of land into plots for transfer to private ownership based on free market turnover. Guaranteeing basic human rights and achieving public welfare from a land reform are achieved not only via obtaining land in private ownership, but also via supporting these acts with a fair distribution of control over the production process. Imposing on society a pseudo-scientific concept that land is a commodity that, like an apartment, mobile phone or bag of feed, can be freely bought and sold on market at open auctions, which will consolidate the country's economic power would inevitably lead to even greater income polarization, violation of basic human rights and, consequently, to social confrontations and significant social upheavals.
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Cashel, M., and P. A. McGavin. "Removing Poverty Traps: Taxation and Welfare Reform in Australia." Economic and Labour Relations Review 3, no. 2 (December 1992): 98–114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/103530469200300205.
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This article uses data on the interactions of income taxation and state welfare transfers on effective marginal tax rates (EMTRs) in Australia to argue policy reforms for removing poverty traps created by high EMTRs. This highlights the need for state welfare and income taxation reforms to target those elements of income taxation and social welfare interaction that are most significant for high EMTRs and for high EMTRs extending across wide incomes ranges. Proposed welfare changes involve simultaneous reductions in base-level state welfare transfer payments, along with eligibility for supplementary transfer payments for able persons that are proportional to market labour activity. Proposed taxation changes include removal of distinctions between taxable and tax-exempt state welfare transfers and a gradually-progressive revised taxation scale.
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O'Brien, David. "Interpreting Welfare Reform: Continuity and Change within the Social Democratic Tradition." Labour History Review 70, no. 3 (December 2005): 275–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/096156505x75678.
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Hu, Xiaowen, Duanming Zhou, Chengchen Hu, and Fei Ai. "Modeling the Effect of Exchange Rate Liberalization on China’s Macro Economy." Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics 21, no. 5 (September 20, 2017): 769–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.20965/jaciii.2017.p0769.
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The empirical characteristics of domestic and foreign interest rate shocks are obtained by using VAR method: the domestic interest rate regulation is counter-cyclical, and the increase of foreign interest rate leads to the increase of domestic output and inflation. On this basis, we construct a small open dynamic stochastic general equilibrium theory framework which reflects the empirical characteristics, including exchange rate control, to analyze the macroeconomic effects of exchange rate liberalization reform. By volatility simulation, impulse response and social welfare loss function analysis, the empirical results show that: firstly, exchange rate reform would increase volatility of output and exchange rate, but reduce volatility of inflation and interest rate. Secondly, exchange rate reform enhances the impact of domestic interest rate shocks on output and inflation. Which means the reform would improve the control ability of interest rate as a monetary policy tool. Moreover, the reform increases loss of social welfare. The conclusion shows that the exchange rate liberalization should be implemented step by step. The government should accelerate the reform when the external macro economy is stable. Otherwise it will cause a larger economic volatility.
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Wilcock, Scarlet. "(De-)Criminalizing Welfare? The Rise and Fall of Social Security Fraud Prosecutions in Australia." British Journal of Criminology 59, no. 6 (April 23, 2019): 1498–519. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz027.
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Abstract The social security fraud prosecution rate has fallen by approximately 74.9 per cent in Australia since 2010. This is remarkable considering the national dialogue continues to propound a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to fraud in the welfare system. Drawing on interviews with compliance staff from the Australian Department of Human Services, documentary research and a Foucauldian governmentality analytic, this article charts and interrogates the declining welfare fraud prosecution rate in the context of neoliberal welfare reform. It argues that this decline is at least partially the result of the reformulation of the objects of prosecution strategies by staff responsible for their enactment. This finding highlights the importance of localized accounts of welfare administration to supplement and complicate macro analyses of the ‘criminalization of welfare’ in Western industrialized nations.
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Fisher, Karen R., Xiaoyuan Shang, and Megan Blaxland. "Review Article: Human Rights Based Social Policies – Challenges for China." Social Policy and Society 10, no. 1 (December 8, 2010): 71–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474746410000400.
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This review article discusses findings from current Chinese social policy literature about the dilemmas facing the Chinese government to reform China's residual social policies, from historic, socio-economic and political perspectives. It explores how human rights based policies and transparent management are beginning to be reflected in recent literature as the policy changes emerge from current social and political development in China. China is emerging as a new important international force, both economically and socially. Its social policies are at a turning point as it shifts to a middle developed country and as the world witnesses the emergence of a new welfare state.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Human welfare and social reform"
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Chan, Wing-kit Eric. "An analysis of human resource management in correctional homes of the Social Welfare Department : implications for change /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1997. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B18595753.
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Chan, Wing-kit Eric, and 陳永傑. "An analysis of human resource management in correctional homes of the Social Welfare Department: implications forchange." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1997. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31965131.
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Sayeed, Yeasmin. "Child Marriage, Human Development and Welfare : Using Public Spending, Taxation and Conditional Cash Transfers as Policy Instruments." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Handelshögskolan vid Örebro Universitet, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-47122.
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The theme of this thesis is to analyze the impact of policy interventions such as financing human development (HD), tax reform and conditional cash transfer programmes, under the framework of growth and sustainable development. These policy instruments are evaluated through the application of both partial and general equilibrium models, and the last paper concentrates on developing regional social accounting matrices (SAMs) as a core database for spatial general equilibrium modelling. Essay 1: Trade-offs in Achieving Human Development Goals for Bangladesh investigates the benefits and costs associated with alternative investment financing options for achieving HD goals by applying the MAMS (Maquette for Millennium Development Goals Studies) model. We find that full achievement of these goals would have led to a GDP loss that would have been significantly larger in the domestic borrowing scenario than in the tax scenario. The tax-financing alternative is thus the better option for financing large development programs. In terms of public spending composition, we find that, under some circumstances, a trade-off arises between overall Millennium Development Goal (MDG) progress and poverty reduction. Essay 2: Welfare impact of broadening VAT by exempting Small-Scale food markets: The case of Bangladesh analyses the welfare impacts of different VAT reforms. A general and uniform VAT on all commodities is preferred as it is more efficient and less administratively costly. However, due to equity concerns, food is normally exempted from VAT. On the other hand, exemptions on food mean that an implicit subsidy is provided to high-income households. Hence, we analyze a broad-based VAT regime with a high threshold that excludes small-scale operators (where the low-income households buy their products most, including food) and the simulation result shows that welfare improves for the low-income households. Essay 3: Effect of Girls’ Secondary School Stipend on Completed Schooling and Age at Marriage: Evidence from Bangladesh estimates the effect of a conditional cash transfer programme on education and age at marriage. We apply both difference in differences (DiD) and regression discontinuity methods to evaluate the impact of the policy instrument. Our estimation results show that the girls in the treatment group who were exposed to the programme had a higher average number of completed years of schooling and also delayed their first marriage compared to the girls in the control group. We also show that the DiD approach might produce a biased result as it does not consider the convergence effect. Essay 4: Estimation of Multiregional Social Accounting Matrices using Transport Data proposes a methodology for estimating multiregional SAMs from a national SAM by applying the cross-entropy method. The methodology makes possible the construction of regional SAMs that are consistent with official regional accounts and minimize deviations from transport data.
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Bruckauf, Zlata. "Parental human investment : economic stress and time allocation in Russia." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:99cf2f7a-7bd0-4931-9efa-14f67bf85cc1.
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A decade of growth and wealth generation in Russia ended in 2009 with the collapse in GDP and rising unemployment. This Great Recession added new economic challenges to the ‘old’ problems facing children and families, including widening income inequalities and the phenomenon of social orphanage. One question is how the new and existing material pressures affect parent–child relationships. This research contributes to the answer by examining, in aggregate terms, the role poverty plays in the allocation of parental time in this emerging economy. Utilising a nationally representative sample of children, it explores how child interactions with parents are affected by aggregate and idiosyncratic shocks. Drawing on the rational choice paradigm and its critique, we put forward the Parental Time Equilibrium as an analytical guide to the study. This theoretical approach presents individual decisions concerning time spent with children over the long term as the product of a defined equilibrium between resources and demands for involvement. We test this approach through pooled cross-sectional and panel analyses based on the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey dataset from 2007 to 2009. Children in low-income households face the double disadvantage of a lack of money and time investments at home, with both persistent and transient poverty being associated with lower than average parental time inputs in the sample. Moreover, while on average, we find that children do maintain the amount of time they spend with their parents under conditions of severe financial strain, low–income children lose out on play time with the mother. Material resources cannot be considered in isolation from structural disadvantages, of which rural location in particular is detrimental for parent–child time together. The study demonstrates that the cumulative stress of adverse macro-economic conditions and depleted material resources makes it difficult for parents to sustain their human investment in children. The evidence this study provides on the associations between economic stress and pa-rental time allocations advances our knowledge of the disparities of in the childhood experience in modern Russian society. The findings strongly support the equal importance of available resources and basic demand for involvement, thus drawing policy attention to the need to address both in the best interests of children.
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Meng, Ke. "Political institutions, skill formation, and pension policy : the political-economic logic of China's pension system." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4fd792f6-3b4a-46e0-9566-582de50e7106.
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A central theme in the comparative political economy of the welfare state is the complementaries between political institutions, social policy, and labour markets. Yet little has been written to uncover this political-economic nexus in China, the world’s second largest economy. This thesis partly addresses this gap by studying the country’s public pension arrangement, the most expensive component of the Chinese welfare state. It reveals the working of the political-economic nexus in contemporary China by showing how it leads to two puzzling characteristics of the Chinese pension system, namely the rapid expansion in the absence of electoral pressures and the persistent regional fragmentation despite an authoritarian central government. It argues that the decentralised authoritarianism, in which China’s authoritarian central state delegates to regional governments and motivates them to achieve its developmental goals, drives municipal authorities to compete with each other in generating economic growth. In the inter-municipal economic competition, local leaders adopt an expansionary yet localising pension policy. This facilitates the formation of specific industrial skills, which are productive for particular local industries, and the retention of skilled industrial workers. All of this is important to local economic development in a context of industrial upgrading and labour market tightening. It is argued this is the political-economic logic of China’s pension system.
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Edwards, Natalie A. "Welfare Reform and Leadership: A Case Study." Toledo, Ohio : University of Toledo, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=toledo1271462610.
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Thesis (M.L.S.)--University of Toledo, 2010.Typescript. "Submitted to the Graduate Faculty as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Liberal Studies." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Title from title page of PDF document. Bibliography: p. 45-51.
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Threlfall, Perry A. "Social Capital and Welfare Reform: The Single Mother Quagmire." VCU Scholars Compass, 2007. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd_retro/171.
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This paper examines the effects of social capital in the lives of low-income single mothers and how it intersects with the goals of the Personal Responsibility Act (PRA). These explicit goals are to decrease reliance on public assistance through work and marriage; the implicit goals are to enhance social capital by increasing the trust, norms, and values that are evidenced by work and marriage. However, low-income single mothers are faced with limited repositories of social capital, which leaves them in a legislated quagmire. Tested here is the hypothesis that social capital impacts marriage, stable employment, and TANF use. The findings indicate that social capital impacts stable employment and economic stability in low-income single mothers, but it does not increase the likelihood of marriage. Further research that examines how social capital intersects with race and class will shed additional light on the efficacy of policy initiatives that focus on social capital reinforcement in low income female-headed families.
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Feyertag, Joseph. "Varieties and politics of skill protection : a micro level analysis of unemployment protection systems in Europe." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c69681da-2da3-4467-985f-b644c1be6c48.
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Varieties of Capitalism theory predicts that the skill specificity of workers determines their demand for social protection. In this thesis, I test this assumption using a measure of occupational mobility between pre- and post-unemployment, which I apply to European workers in different skill groups as defined by Fleckenstein et al., (2011). Using this measure as an indicator of the portability of workers' skills, I then evaluate whether the lower marketability of human capital investments is associated with greater demand for unemployment protection. The findings demonstrate that whilst this relationship is apparent in certain countries, notably Coordinated Market Economies such as Germany, the assumptions do not apply across institutional settings. Consequently, skill specificity cannot explain variation in attitudes towards unemployment protection policies between countries.
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Gigliotti, Katherine M. "Immigration and Welfare: Policy Changes Brought by the 1996 Welfare Reform Law." Thesis, Boston College, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/381.
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Thesis advisor: Timothy DuketThe United States of America's official seal is inscribed with the quote “E Pluribus Unum.” Translated from the Latin, this phrase means “From Many, One.” Modern America is in fact one nation, built from many; many cultures, religions, and citizens from many different origins comprise the American polity. America is a nation of immigrants. The first immigrants to this country were fleeing religious persecution. Others have come escaping a life of poverty or political repression. Whatever the reason, immigrants come to America in hope of a better life. Despite America's strong immigrant tradition, the issue of membership in the American polity has been a contentious issue throughout our history. Chinese Exclusion, and the National Origins Quota System are merely two policies implemented with the express purpose of keeping foreigners out of America. Over time, anti-immigrant sentiment in America has been fueled by nativism and the desire to allow economic prosperity to benefit American citizens. While nativism has played an important role in determining American immigration policy, many modern-day arguments for a restrictive immigration policy are based on economic considerations. It is often claimed that immigrants take jobs away from citizens. Economic research has shown that modern-day immigrants tend to be lower skilled and have a lower economic performance than natives. As a result, the presence of a large number of immigrants does create greater job competition and lower wages for citizens in low-paying jobs. The desire to keep jobs available for American citizens has been a primary cause of existing restrictions on immigration
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2003
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology
Discipline: College Honors Program
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Lee, Soohyun. "The transformation of East Asian welfare states : the politics of welfare reform in South Korea." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6975fb9b-3ea0-4d9e-b437-552d21a74572.
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East Asian welfare states have experienced major reforms in the last two decades, raising the question as to whether these welfare reforms signify a fundamental departure from the East Asian welfare model, or merely an adaptation of the model to socioeconomic changes. Overshadowed by the state-driven policy-making model with a strong functionalist bias focusing on socio-economic drivers, the existing East Asian welfare state literature has overlooked the fundamental political change brought by the dual transition (i.e., democratisation and economic liberalisation), which have led to the emergence of pluralistic societies. In order to fill this gap in the literature, this thesis investigates the political underpinnings of welfare reforms in Korea with special attention to societal actors, (notably trade unions, employers’ associations, and political parties) whose role feature prominently in the comparative welfare state literature, are still largely neglected in East Asian welfare state research. Bringing these actors into the analysis, the thesis examines how the rise of societal actors has changed Korean welfare politics by constraining policy autonomy of the state in the domains of employment protection, unemployment protection, and work/family reconciliation policies. To this end, the thesis engages in analysing policy documents and in-depth elite interviews with senior government officials as well as high-profile representatives of employers associations, trade unions and parties. The thesis argues that the politics of the Korean welfare state has undergone a three step transformation process in the post-transition period. The developmental alliance could no longer function as the sole driving force of welfare state development during the first civilian government (1993-1998), when organised labour exercised its newly acquired status of a veto player. Furthermore, the old driving force of social policy-making, the developmental alliance, was replaced by the new alliance between the centre-left party and organised labour during the first left government (1998-2003) Lastly, parties moved to centre stage of social policy-making during the second left government (2003-2008) and the current conservative government (2008-presnet). Drawing on competing theories of the welfare state –in particular, the Power Resource approach, the employer-centred varieties of capitalism perspective, and the state-centred theorem, and the parties-matter thesis – the thesis contributes to developing a comprehensive political account on welfare state transformation in East Asia and to the better embedding of the East Asian welfare state literature into the comparative welfare state literature.
Books on the topic "Human welfare and social reform"
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Fink, Barbara L. Social service organizations and welfare reform. New York: Manpower Demonstration Research Corp., 2001.
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Social welfare programmes and fertility decline: A social reform approach. Delhi: Abhijeet Publications, 2009.
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Welfare reform: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 1996.
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Rhodes, Martin, 1956 Feb. 23-, ed. Southern European welfare states: Between crisis and reform. London: Frank Cass, 1997.
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Jet, Bussemaker, ed. Citizenship and welfare state reform in Europe. London: Routledge, 1999.
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Subbarao, K. Namibia's social safety net: Issues and options for reform. Washington, DC: World Bank, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network, Poverty Division, 1998.
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J, Austin Michael, ed. Changing welfare services: Case studies of local welfare reform programs. New York: Haworth Social Work Practice Press, 2004.
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Caledon Institute of Social Policy. and Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Standing Committee on Human Resources Development., eds. The comprehensive reform of social programs: Brief to the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development. Ottawa, Ont., Canada: Caledon Institute of Social Policy, 1995.
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R, Burt Martha. The social safety net at the beginning of federal welfare reform: Organization of and access to social services for low-income families. Washington, D.C: Urban Institute, 2000.
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1940-, Gilbert Neil, and Parent Antoine, eds. Welfare reform: A comparative assessment of the French and U.S. experiences. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers, 2004.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Human welfare and social reform"
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De Paula Vieira, Andreia, and Raymond Anthony. "Reimagining Human Responsibility Towards Animals for Disaster Management in the Anthropocene." In The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics, 223–54. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63523-7_13.
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AbstractAnimals, like human beings, are prone to suffering harms, such as disease, injury and death, as a result of anthropogenic and natural disasters. Animals are disproportionately prone to risk and adversely affected by disasters, and thus require humane and respectful care when disasters strike, due to socially situated vulnerabilities based on how human communities assess and value their moral standing and function. The inability to integrate animals into disaster risk and management practices and processes can sometimes be associated with a lack of understanding about what animal ethics and animal health and welfare require when designing disaster management programs. This chapter seeks to reimagine human responsibility towards animals for disaster management. The pervasiveness of disasters and their impacts on animals, human-animal and animal-environment relationships underscore the importance of effective animal disaster management supported by sound ethical decision-making processes. To this end, we delineate six ethically responsible animal caretaking aims for consideration when developing disaster management plans and policies. These aims, which address central vulnerabilities experienced by domesticated animals during disasters, are meant to be action-guiding within the disaster management context. They include: (1) Save lives and mitigate harm; (2) Protect animal welfare and respect animals’ experiences; (3) Observe, recognize and promote distributive justice; (4) Advance public involvement; (5) Empower caregivers, guardians, owners and community members; (6) Bolster public health and veterinary community professionalism, including engagement in multidisciplinary teams and applied scientific developments. To bring about these aims, we offer a set of practical and straightforward action steps for animal caregivers and disaster management teams to ensure that animals’ interests are systematically promoted in disaster management. They include: (1) Respect and humane treatment; (2) Collaboration and effective disaster communication; (3) Strengthening systems of information sharing, surveillance, scientific research, management and training; (4) Community outreach and proactive contact; (5) Cultural sensitivity and attitudes check, and (6) Reflection, review and reform.
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Wong, Linda. "Welfare Policy Reform." In The Market in Chinese Social Policy, 38–62. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781403919939_3.
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Caputo, Richard K. "Historical Benchmarks Prior to the 1980s." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 3–28. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_1.
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Caputo, Richard K. "Policy Challenges Ahead." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 259–91. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_10.
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Caputo, Richard K. "The Reagan Administration and Public Assistance." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 29–43. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_2.
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Caputo, Richard K. "Welfare Reform in the Clinton Administration." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 45–63. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_3.
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Caputo, Richard K. "Women’s Employment and EITC Expansion." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 65–79. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_4.
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Caputo, Richard K. "TANF and EITC: A Literature Review." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 81–103. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_5.
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Caputo, Richard K. "TANF and EITC Use: A Study." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 105–41. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_6.
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Caputo, Richard K. "Employment, Education, and Training Programs." In U.S. Social Welfare Reform, 145–79. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7674-1_7.
Full textConference papers on the topic "Human welfare and social reform"
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Shestakova, Kateryna. "EU structural funds and support for the implementation of social projects: the Polish example." In Sociology – Social Work and Social Welfare: Regulation of Social Problems. Видавець ФОП Марченко Т.В., 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.23939/sosrsw2023.202.
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Background: EU structural funds play an important role in the process of managing projects aimed at solving social problems. After joining the EU, Poland was able to use structural funds to modernize the social and economic sphere and change the paradigm of development of local communities. Ukraine has a chance to become a member of the European Union. This will give Ukraine the opportunity to use the support of European donors for the purpose of post-war reconstruction and to reform the system of social assistance. Purpose: Determine the main directions of using EU structural funds and the role of project management in obtaining and using structural funds. Methods: Statistical data from official sources of Poland and the European Commission were used for the analysis. The findings are relevant to the management of the social sphere, human resource management, and change management in organizations. Results: EU structural funds are an important tool of economic and social policy. Project management is an integral part of the process of receiving and using financial support from structural funds. There are three groups of the beneficiaries, state institutions of the social sphere, private enterprises, and non-governmental organizations. Conclusion: The project manager must always be well prepared for this activity. He must also understand the specifics of the cohesion policy of the European Union. Polish experience in these matters can help Ukraine on the way to reforming the sphere of social protection. Keywords: project management, theEuropean StructuralFunds, European Union, local community, social policy.
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Diop, Abdoulaye, Semsia Al-Ali Mustafa, Michael Ewers, and Trung Kien Le. "Welfare Index of Migrant Workers: The Case of Qatar." In Qatar University Annual Research Forum & Exhibition. Qatar University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.29117/quarfe.2020.0256.
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In December 2010, Qatar won the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The announcement came with increasing pressure from international human rights organizations, media and other groups for Qatar to reform its labor laws, which governs the lives and working conditions of foreign workers in the country. Although Qatar continues to develop and implement major reforms to its labor laws, until now there was no one unique tool based on survey data to evaluate the impact of the government’s policies on guest workers. The objective of this paper is to present the Qatar Guest Workers’ Welfare Index (GWWI), a multi-dimensional comprehensive tool based on survey data of migrant workers developed by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI). In addition to assessing and tracking the welfare of this population, the objective of the index is to identify areas of improvement to guide policy formulation.
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Romaniuk, Kateryna, and Tatiana Shapovalova. "Development of the pension system in the context of its reform." In Sociology – Social Work and Social Welfare: Regulation of Social Problems. Видавець ФОП Марченко Т.В., 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.23939/sosrsw2023.187.
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Background: In today's world, the pension system is one of the most important components of a country's social policy. The development of the pension system is an urgent issue for many countries, including Ukraine, as demographic, economic and social conditions are changing, which affect the functioning of the pension system. Ukraine faces the need to reform its pension system due to its growing elderly population and the lack of financial stability of the pension system. In this regard, the Government of Ukraine is reforming the pension system to ensure its sustainability and efficiency. Purpose: To analyze and evaluate the development of the pension system in Ukraine in the context of its reform, and to identify problems and prospects for development. Methods: Theoretical method – to analyze the works of domestic scientists. Economic analysis method – to assess the economic efficiency of the pension system and various options for its reform, as well as to calculate the cost and financial sustainability of the pension system. Forecasting method – to develop forecasts for the development of the pension system and its reform, to identify possible risks and options for their prevention. The combination of these research methods will provide a more complete and objective study of the topic and obtain research results that will allow us to draw conclusions and recommendations for the further development of the pension system in Ukraine in the context of its reform. Results: Through the analysis of the pension system in Ukraine, we were able to identify the stages of its development, problems, and highlight the main aspects of reforming this system. Conclusion: Thus, the results of the study confirmed the theory that the pension system is indeed undergoing reform. Moreover, this reform requires time and work. We have highlighted the tips that we believe are important and will contribute to the full provision of benefits to people receiving payments from the Pension Fund. Keywords: Pension Fund, pension, reform, pension system, social insurance.
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Yaremchuk, Serhii. "Capitalization of the pension system as the main direction of pension reform in Ukraine." In Sociology – Social Work and Social Welfare: Regulation of Social Problems. Видавець ФОП Марченко Т.В., 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.23939/sosrsw2023.212.
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Background: The economic and demographic crises burdened by the war create a significant social problem that concerns the pension provision of Ukrainian citizens. In addition, it should be taken into account that 40% of the Pension Fund's expenses are covered by transfers from the state budget. The current pension system is not able to provide pensioners with a decent life and therefore needs to be revised and reformed. Purpose: Study of issues related to the current state, problems and prospects of the development of the pension system in Ukraine. Methods: The method of analysis, the method of comparing opinions, the method of theoretical and empirical research of statistical data was used. Results: The pension system in Ukraine consists of three levels, the first and main of which is the joint pension system. Although it does not provide an adequate level of provision for pensioners and generally has problematic prospects. At the same time, the second and third levels - mandatory and voluntary savings systems - can increase pension savings. And this is the path of reforming the pension system followed by most countries of the world. However, there is currently no second level of pension provision in Ukraine. Therefore, the deputies introduced the draft law "On accumulative pension provision", the purpose of which is to transform the pension system of Ukrainian citizens by creating an additional support - a mandatory accumulative system, which will allow citizens to make additional individual pension savings for old age. Conclusion: Currently in Ukraine, the implementation of the so-called second level of the mandatory accumulated pension system as an additional element of the pension system, with the aim of forming pension savings and increasing the overall replacement ratio of the main indicator of the adequacy of pension payments, is relevant for the restoration of the proper level of pension provision. Keywords: pension, solidarity pension system, accumulative pension system, reform.
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Meng, Yingying, and Dasong Deng. "Retrospection on the Reform Practice of Chinese Social Welfare Institution." In 2010 International Conference on Internet Technology and Applications (iTAP). IEEE, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/itapp.2010.5566218.
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Shapovalova, Tatiana. "Current market of social services in Ukraine." In Sociology – Social Work and Social Welfare: Regulation of Social Problems. Видавець ФОП Марченко Т.В., 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.23939/sosrsw2023.197.
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Background: The existing tradition of the state's extensive presence in the market for social services as a provider and guarantor of their minimum necessary amount has formed a set of corresponding consumer expectations, and this market is one of the most difficult objects for transformation, because it is a market where goods with very special properties are circulated. These goods are to be consumed by people regardless of their income. Liberalization of the market of social services forms an opportunity to organize competitive interaction between economic entities of all organizational and legal forms and forms of ownership in the process of meeting the basic needs of modern society, as well as initiates a dynamic expansion of the range of social services offered to consumers. Purpose: To analyze and evaluate the prerequisites and state of development of the social services market in Ukraine in the context of reforming the social service system. Methods: Theoretical method - to analyze the works of domestic and foreign scholars. Forecasting method - to develop forecasts for the development of the social services market and reform of the social services sector, to identify possible risks. Results: Having analyzed the reform of the social services system in Ukraine, we were able to identify the problems of creating a market for social services and highlight the main aspects of reforming this system. Conclusion: Conclusion: Thus, the results of the study confirmed the need to reform the system of social services provision by creating a market through the denationalization of the "budgetary sphere" and the involvement of socially oriented organizations and commercial structures. Keywords: Social services, social services market, risks of providing social services, administrative barriers.
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Мychka, Mariia-Roksoliana, and Mariana Shkoliar. "Sociological discourse of the domestic animals status transformation in the human-animal relations." In Sociology – Social Work and Social Welfare: Regulation of Social Problems. Видавець ФОП Марченко Т.В., 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.23939/sosrsw2023.063.
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Background: The topic of human-animal relationship has been gaining more and more popularity in recent years in the Western scientific discourse, but there are not so many studies and scientific works.You can find only isolated works and empirical investigations on this topic in the Ukrainian scientific space, although the role that pets play in the life of a modern person is quite important. Purpose: justification of modern trends in human-animal relations through the prism of sociology. Methods: the methods of analysis, synthesis, systematization and generalization were the main ones in the work with the primary sources on the topic of the publication, which made it possible to determine the features of various approaches to the study of important aspects of the human – domestic animal relationship. The method of secondary analysis of sociological research made it possible to reveal the current situation regarding the practices of interaction between people and domestic animals. Results: Current aspects of the study of the pet`s role in people's lives have been clarified. The evolution of a person's attitude towards an animal in a historical-cultural section from an object (utilitarian attitude) to a subject, a partner in interaction (animal-companion, animal-friend, animal-child, etc.) is considered. The mechanism of changing the status of a domestic animal through the prism of the phenomenological paradigm is substantiated: the attitude towards animals depends on the framework of perception of their status and essence, which can be the values, norms and rules adopted in society or in a certain environment in a certain period. The factors that contributed to the change of the specified norms and rules of interaction were identified, including: the spread of humanism and posthumanism values, urbanization, the tendency to anthropomorphize animals, etc., The methodological foundations of B. Latour's actor-network theory were used to explain the subjectivity status of domestic animals. According to it, things (in our case, animals) are not only passive agents of interaction, not only exposed to the influence of a person, but also exert an influence on him. This means, that they are partners in a network of interactions. The process of domestic animals status transformation is illustrated on the basis of the social construction stages of reality by P. Berger and T. Luсkmann. Social, racial, and demographic characteristics of social practices related to pets are explored. Conclusion: The topic of interaction between domestic animals and people is not sufficiently disclosed in the sociological discourse, since interest in it began quite recently. Scientists were motivated to intensify research on this topic by changes in the attitude towards the animals that live nearby. From consumerism to partnership. This led to a change in the utilitarian value of animals, which began to be determined by feelings and emotions. This situation became possible as a result of the transformations of the value dimension of society, the spread of the philosophy of animals treatment, the principles of posthumanism. As well as the aggravation of the modern person needs to interact with animals, experience "live", real emotions and feelings (love , affection, devotion, etc.) in the world of technologies and rational relations. Keywords: sociology, pet, pets` status transformation, subjectivity of pets.
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Kamal bin Nik Mahmod, Nik Ahmad. "Good Governance, Human Rights and Social Welfare: An Evaluation." In 1st International Conference of Law and Justice - Good Governance and Human Rights in Muslim Countries: Experiences and Challenges (ICLJ 2017). Paris, France: Atlantis Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.2991/iclj-17.2018.37.
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Mazur-Kumrić, Nives, and Ivan Zeko-Pivač. "TRIGGERING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: A CRITICAL OVERVIEW OF THE EU’S AND UN'S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND BEYOND." In EU 2021 – The future of the EU in and after the pandemic. Faculty of Law, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.25234/eclic/18300.
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The large-scale COVID-19 pandemic is a severe public health emergency which poses distressing social and economic challenges to the international community as a whole. In order to provide immediate and effective support to affected welfare and healthcare systems as well as to build their lasting, inclusive and sustainable recovery, both the European Union and the United Nations have introduced a number of urgent measures aiming to help and protect citizens and economies. This paper looks into the specificities of urgent procedures launched and carried out by the two most influential international organisations with a view to rapidly respond to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. More specifically, it focuses on the involved institutions and steps of urgent procedures as well as on their most remarkable outcomes. In the case of the European Union, the emphasis is put primarily on two Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives (CRIIs), adopted during the Croatian Presidency of the Council in one of the fastest legal procedures in the history of the European Union, and the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU) as an extension of the CRIIs’ crisis repair measures. The overarching United Nations’ response is assessed through an analysis of its urgent policy agenda developed on the premise that the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a health and socio-economic emergency but also a global humanitarian, security and human rights crisis. This particularly includes procedures foreseen by the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) and the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP). In addition, the aim of the paper is to provide a critical overview of the subject by highlighting three pivotal elements. First, the paper sheds light on the financial aspects of the urgent fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, necessary for turning words into action. Notably, this refers to funds secured by the Multiannual Financial Frameworks 2014-2020 and 2021-2027, and the Next Generation EU recovery instrument, on the one hand, and the UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and the Solidarity Response Fund, on the other hand. Second, it offers a comparative evaluation of the end results of the European and global emergency procedures in mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, it summarises the underlying elements of measures governing the aftermath of the ongoing crisis, i.e. those promoting a human-centred, green, sustainable, inclusive and digital approach to future life.
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Arifin, Ridwan, Rodiyah Rodiyah, Ali Masyhar, Indah Sri Utari, Siti Hafsyah Idris, and Sheela Jayabalan. "Bioethics and human rights: Constructing the interdisciplinary approach." In IJALS SYMPOSIUM ON TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT FOR SOCIAL WELFARE: Technological Advancement for Social Welfare: Contemporary Development and the Future Impact. AIP Publishing, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0105698.
Full textReports on the topic "Human welfare and social reform"
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Blundell, Richard, Monica Costa Dias, Costas Meghir, and Jonathan Shaw. Female Labour Supply, Human Capital and Welfare Reform. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, May 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.3386/w19007.
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Costa Dias, Monica, Costas Meghir, Jonathan Shaw, and Richard Blundell. Female labour supply, human capital and welfare reform. Institute for Fiscal Studies, May 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1920/wp.ifs.2013.1310.
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Wallis, John Joseph, Price Fishback, and Shawn Kantor. Politics, Relief, and Reform: The Transformation of America's Social Welfare System during the New Deal. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, January 2005. http://dx.doi.org/10.3386/w11080.
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Cuesta-Valiño, Pedro. Happiness Management. A Social Well-being multiplier. Social Marketing and Organizational Communication. Edited by Rafael Ravina-Ripoll. Editorial Universidad de Sevilla, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.12795/2022.happiness-management.
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On behalf of the Happiness University Network, we are pleased to present here an extract of the information concerning the universities working to generate the diffusion of this network. Specifically, with the support of the University of Salamanca and the Pontifical University of Salamanca the aim is to create a friendly and working environment for the dissemination and discussion of the latest scientific and practical developments in the fields of happiness economics, corporate wellbeing, happiness management and organisational communication. It also offers an opportunity for productive encounters, the promotion of collaborative projects and the encouragement of international networking. Below you will find papers related to: Economics of happiness, happiness management, organisational communication, welfare state economics, consumer happiness, leadership, social marketing, happiness management and SDGs, happiness management in human resource strategies, learning and competencies in happiness management, learning and competencies in social well-being, measurement and indicators of happiness and well-being and history of welfare economics.
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Carvalho, Helena. Land Inequality, Agricultural Productivity, and the Portuguese Agrarian Reform (1974-1976). APHES Working Paper in Economic and Social History, March 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.55462/wpaphes_a_503.
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Land reforms sacrifice property rights in the name of a fairer distribution. The trade-off they imply makes their study of interest to Economic Historians: do the benefits of reduced land inequality justify the violation of property rights? The discussion about land reforms factors in both the social and efficiency consequences of land inequality. The debate preceding the Portuguese Agrarian Reform echoes these concerns and culminated in an anti-latifundia sentiment crystallized in the legislation used to justify the land occupations of 1974 to 1976. The aim of this paper is to critically assess the efficiency arguments used to justify the occupations. Was land productivity lower in latifúndio counties? A unique dataset drawn from primary sources was specially assembled to answer this question. Through standard OLS regression, this study finds that the number of agriculture journeyman per employer landowner has a statistically significant effect on agricultural productivity after controlling for geographical and soil characteristics. It also finds that introducing literacy as a control causes the effect of land inequality to disappear leading to the conclusion that policies aimed at improving human capital would have been just as effective as a land reform. Further, this study also identifies the crop mix selected as the proximate channel of transmission. Farmers in the region with the highest levels of land inequality favoured less valuable crops, like wheat. An arid climate combined with a lack of irrigation infrastructure and wheat protectionism justify this preference.
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Lindberg, Lars. Personalised Support and Services for Persons with Disabilities – mapping of Nordic models. Nordens välfärdscenter, November 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.52746/nqrb1733.
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In what way and how can models for personalised support such as personal budgeting strengthen the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities? Personal budgeting refers to a sum of money that is granted to the individual on the basis of an assessment of the need for service and calculation of a budget for this purpose. The individual can buy the service he needs for his budget. Personal budgeting is in use in social and health care in several countries. In the Nordic region, personal assistance is the main example of such solutions, but other models have also been tried and adopted in social and health care, such as systems of freedom of choice and increased opportunities for users to choose a provider. The report presents a number of personalised systems for support for people with disabilities that have been implemented in the Nordic countries and their experiences. The mapping was carried out jointly by the Nordic Welfare Center and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). The report will be considered when forming a proposal for a future reform of support and services for people with disabilities in Finland.
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Rosser, Andrew, Phil King, and Danang Widoyoko. The Political Economy of the Learning Crisis in Indonesia. Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE), July 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.35489/bsg-rise-2022/pe01.
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Indonesia has done much to improve access to education in recent decades but it has had little success in improving learning outcomes. This paper examines the political origins of this problem. It argues that Indonesia’s learning crisis has reflected the political dominance during the New Order and post-New Order periods of predatory political, bureaucratic and corporate elites who have sought to use the country’s education system to accumulate resources, distribute patronage, mobilize political support, and exercise political control rather than produce skilled workers and critical and inquiring minds. Technocratic and progressive elements, who have supported a stronger focus on basic skills acquisition, have contested this orientation, with occasional success, but generally contestation has been settled in favour of predatory elites. The analysis accordingly suggests that efforts to improve learning outcomes in Indonesia are unlikely to produce significant results unless there is a fundamental reconfiguration of power relations between these elements. In the absence of such a shift, moves to increase funding levels, address human resource deficits, eliminate perverse incentive structures, and improve education management in accordance with technocratic templates of international best practice or progressive notions of equity and social justice—the sorts of measures that have been the focus of education reform efforts in Indonesia so far—are unlikely to produce the intended results.
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Idris, Iffat. Increasing Birth Registration for Children of Marginalised Groups in Pakistan. Institute of Development Studies (IDS), July 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.19088/k4d.2021.102.
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This review looks at approaches to promote birth registration among marginalised groups, in order to inform programming in Pakistan. It draws on a mixture of academic and grey literature, in particular reports by international development organizations. While there is extensive literature on rates of birth registration and the barriers to this, and consensus on approaches to promote registration, the review found less evidence of measures specifically aimed at marginalised groups. Gender issues are addressed to some extent, particularly in understanding barriers to registration, but the literature was largely disability-blind. The literature notes that birth registration is considered as a fundamental human right, allowing access to services such as healthcare and education; it is the basis for obtaining other identity documents, e.g. driving licenses and passports; it protects children, e.g. from child marriage; and it enables production of vital statistics to support government planning and resource allocation. Registration rates are generally lower than average for vulnerable children, e.g. from minority groups, migrants, refugees, children with disabilities. Discriminatory policies against minorities, restrictions on movement, lack of resources, and lack of trust in government are among the ‘additional’ barriers affecting the most marginalised. Women, especially unmarried women, also face greater challenges in getting births registered. General approaches to promoting birth registration include legal and policy reform, awareness-raising activities, capacity building of registration offices, integration of birth registration with health services/education/social safety nets, and the use of digital technology to increase efficiency and accessibility.
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Lazonick, William. Investing in Innovation: A Policy Framework for Attaining Sustainable Prosperity in the United States. Institute for New Economic Thinking Working Paper Series, March 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.36687/inetwp182.
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“Sustainable prosperity” denotes an economy that generates stable and equitable growth for a large and growing middle class. From the 1940s into the 1970s, the United States appeared to be on a trajectory of sustainable prosperity, especially for white-male members of the U.S. labor force. Since the 1980s, however, an increasing proportion of the U.S labor force has experienced unstable employment and inequitable income, while growing numbers of the business firms upon which they rely for employment have generated anemic productivity growth. Stable and equitable growth requires innovative enterprise. The essence of innovative enterprise is investment in productive capabilities that can generate higher-quality, lower-cost goods and services than those previously available. The innovative enterprise tends to be a business firm—a unit of strategic control that, by selling products, must make profits over time to survive. In a modern society, however, business firms are not alone in making investments in the productive capabilities required to generate innovative goods and services. Household units and government agencies also make investments in productive capabilities upon which business firms rely for their own investment activities. When they work in a harmonious fashion, these three types of organizations—household units, government agencies, and business firms—constitute “the investment triad.” The Biden administration’s Build Back Better agenda to restore sustainable prosperity in the United States focuses on investment in productive capabilities by two of the three types of organizations in the triad: government agencies, implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and household units, implementing the yet-to-be-passed American Families Act. Absent, however, is a policy agenda to encourage and enable investment in innovation by business firms. This gaping lacuna is particularly problematic because many of the largest industrial corporations in the United States place a far higher priority on distributing the contents of the corporate treasury to shareholders in the form of cash dividends and stock buybacks for the sake of higher stock yields than on investing in the productive capabilities of their workforces for the sake of innovation. Based on analyzes of the “financialization” of major U.S. business corporations, I argue that, unless Build Back Better includes an effective policy agenda to encourage and enable corporate investment in innovation, the Biden administration’s program for attaining stable and equitable growth will fail. Drawing on the experience of the U.S. economy over the past seven decades, I summarize how the United States moved toward stable and equitable growth from the late 1940s through the 1970s under a “retain-and-reinvest” resource-allocation regime at major U.S. business firms. Companies retained a substantial portion of their profits to reinvest in productive capabilities, including those of career employees. In contrast, since the early 1980s, under a “downsize-and-distribute” corporate resource-allocation regime, unstable employment, inequitable income, and sagging productivity have characterized the U.S. economy. In transition from retain-and-reinvest to downsize-and-distribute, many of the largest, most powerful corporations have adopted a “dominate-and-distribute” resource-allocation regime: Based on the innovative capabilities that they have previously developed, these companies dominate market segments of their industries but prioritize shareholders in corporate resource allocation. The practice of open-market share repurchases—aka stock buybacks—at major U.S. business corporations has been central to the dominate-and-distribute and downsize-and-distribute regimes. Since the mid-1980s, stock buybacks have become the prime mode for the legalized looting of the business corporation. I call this looting process “predatory value extraction” and contend that it is the fundamental cause of the increasing concentration of income among the richest household units and the erosion of middle-class employment opportunities for most other Americans. I conclude the paper by outlining a policy framework that could stop the looting of the business corporation and put in place social institutions that support sustainable prosperity. The agenda includes a ban on stock buybacks done as open-market repurchases, radical changes in incentives for senior corporate executives, representation of workers and taxpayers as directors on corporate boards, reform of the tax system to reward innovation and penalize financialization, and, guided by the investment-triad framework, government programs to support “collective and cumulative careers” of members of the U.S. labor force. Sustained investment in human capabilities by the investment triad, including business firms, would make it possible for an ever-increasing portion of the U.S. labor force to engage in the productive careers that underpin upward socioeconomic mobility, which would be manifested by a growing, robust, and hopeful American middle class.