Julian Chun-Chung Chow

Sense of Community, Neighboring, and Social Capital as Predictors of Local Political Participation in China

This study examines the state of sense of community, neighboring behavior, and social capital in the People’s Republic of China, and explores their ability to predict local political participation, in the form of voting in elections for Urban Resident/Rural Villager Committees. Using a nationally representative survey, rural, older and married residents and those with a primary or high school education and higher perceived socio-economic status are more likely to participate. In rural areas, men are more likely than women to vote. For urban residents, knowing one’s neighbors is more important whereas in rural areas, neighboring behavior is more important, but both predict voting. Social capital does not generally predict Chinese people’s local political participation. Western definitions of social capital derived from theories about networking, bonding and bridging ties may be too culturally individualistic for China, whose collectivist society and agrarian kinship networks predate Communism. Simply knowing and helping one’s neighbors, rather than more abstract notions of trust, reciprocity or membership, may lead to the development of local democracy.

Racial and Ethnic Variations in Caregiver Service Use

Objectives: This article examines whether race and ethnicity contribute to the differential use of caregiver support services, when controlling for caregiver and care recipient characteristics, as represented by predisposing, enabling, and need factors included in the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Methods: The study includes 1,508 individuals who provide care to an ill or disabled adult aged 50 or older, identified through a random digit dial telephone survey of California households. Logistic regression analysis is utilized to examine factors that predict use of caregiver support services. Results: Race and ethnicity do not contribute significantly to caregiver service utilization, when controlling for relevant covarying factors such as age, education, emotional support, family contribution, care recipient service use, and care recipient impairment. A significant interaction exists between ethnicity and family closeness, with reduced rates of service use among Asian and Pacific Island caregivers whose families are brought closer by the caregiving experience. Discussion: These findings suggest that racial and ethnic disparities in caregiver service use found at the bivariate level are attributable to covarying predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Further research and theoretical development are suggested to clarify the impact of sociocultural factors on caregiver service use.

Exploring the community-based service delivery model: Elderly care in China

In response to the rapidly growing need for social services among China’s population, particularly for older people, the government has begun to explore the community-based service delivery model. Using the recent developments in China’s care of older people as a case study example, this article documents the progress of community-based service delivery for the aged living in the community, and explores the community’s evolving role in China’s social service delivery system. China’s model — a horizontal—vertical mixed model — presents a new perspective of defining service delivery and community practice, which has various implications and broadens the view of Western social work practice.

The status of low-income neighborhoods in the post-welfare reform environment: mapping the relationship between poverty and place.

Abstract It has long been recognized that children and adults living in poverty are at risk for a number of negative outcomes. As inequality in the distribution of wealth, income and opportunity has grown in the U.S. during the post-welfare reform era, impoverished children and their families have tended to become increasingly concentrated in urban low-income neighborhoods. Research evidence demonstrates that living in these neighborhoods affects family well-being in several key areas: economic and employment opportunity, health and mental health condition, crime and safety, and childrens behavioral and educational outcomes. Using the neighborhood indicator approach, public and nonprofit social service agencies will be better positioned to develop a comprehensive and integrated service delivery model at the neighborhood level by using neighborhood assessment to locate services and utilize neighborhood intervention Strategies.

Types and Sources of Support Received by Family Caregivers of Older Adults from Diverse Racial and Ethnic Groups

This study examines racial and ethnic variations in the types and sources of support caregivers receive. We conducted telephone surveys of 1,643 randomly selected respondents in California who provided care to someone age 50 or over. African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and white caregivers were compared with regard to support received from formal and informal sources. Patterns of support use were found to vary by racial/ethnic group, with Asian and Pacific Island caregivers most likely to receive help from informal sources only, white caregivers most likely to receive help from formal sources only, and African-American caregivers most likely to rely on a combination of formal and informal support. Results from this study underscore the importance of developing culturally appropriate systems of caregiver support that reflect the needs and practices of diverse caregiver groups. Further research is needed regarding the intersection of race, ethnicity, and other personal or environmental characteristics within the caregiving situation.

The Culturally Responsive Social Service Agency: The Application of an Evolving Definition to a Case Study

ABSTRACT Most of the attention in the last few decades in the human services field has been on the development of culturally competent practice with little attention to the context of this practice. This analysis and case study focuses on the organizational context of social service practitioners seeking to respond effectively to an increasingly diverse client population. Specific attention is given to the development of a working definition of a culturally responsive social service agency. This definition is used to assess a case study of a public sector county social service agency that has a substantial history in promoting culturally responsive practices. The implications for future management practices are noted in the conclusion.

Social Service Utilization, Sense of Community, Family Functioning and the Mental Health of New Immigrant Women in Hong Kong

Drawing upon a sample of 296 new immigrant women in Hong Kong, this study investigated how social service utilization, family functioning, and sense of community influenced the depressive symptoms of new immigrant women. Results of the structural equation modeling suggested that family functioning and sense of community were both significantly and negatively associated with the depression of new immigrant women. Utilization of community services also influenced the depression of immigrant women indirectly through the mediating effect of sense of community. Implications of the research findings for mental health intervention were discussed.

Delivering Welfare-to-Work Services in County Social Service Organizations: An Exploratory Study of Staff Perspectives

There is a limited body of knowledge on the role of staff in the implementation of welfare policy, especially how frontline staff members perceive an array of organizational factors and how these factors affect their ability to serve clients. This exploratory study builds upon this limited body of research by capturing staff perceptions of the personal and community resources that are needed to help TANF participants move from welfare to work in Californias CalWORKs program. It is based on staff perceptions of welfare-to-work services (from orientation to post-employment services) during the first five years of implementing welfare reform in eleven California county social service agencies (1998–2002). Data were collected from a sample of 292 welfare-to-work staff (line staff, specialists, and supervisors) through the use of a Web-based survey. The findings suggest that several factors impact service delivery, including the work environment, resources, characteristics of program participants, staff control over service provision, and staff knowledge and skills. The implications for practice and future research are identified.

Community-based approaches to social exclusion among rural-to-urban migrants in China

Rural-to-urban migrants in China face numerous forms of social exclusion. This article argues that community-based approaches offer innovative ways with which to tackle the problems of social exclusion for rural-to-urban migrants, yet these approaches have been neglected. This article first provides an overview of the concept of social exclusion, as developed by Western European scholarship and policy discourse. Next, it examines the ways in which these concepts are relevant to the context of rural-to-urban migrants within China. Finally, this article conceptualizes the social exclusion paradigm from a community practice perspective and offers the implications of this paradigm for community-level interventions.

Implementing Welfare-to-Work Services: A Study of Staff Decision-Making:

In the post-welfare reform era, increased discretion has been given to frontline staff for day-today welfare policy implementation. To determine how frontline staff address the complex needs of welfare program participants in this new policy environment, the decision-making processes of welfare staff (N = 52) in 11 San Francisco Bay Area county social service agencies were assessed through a case vignette using a Web-based survey design. We examined staff decision making in four areas: problem recognition, goal formulation, information search processes, and evaluation. The results suggest that the high level of staff discretion apparent in the day-to-day implementation of welfare policy may have important implications for participants. Several recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are presented.