Philip Young P. Hong

A Bottom-up Definition of Self-sufficiency: Voices from Low-income Jobseekers

Self-sufficiency (SS) is the epitome of America’s ‘reluctant’ welfare state. It is generally accepted in social welfare policy circles as a concept related to independence and financial stability. Nevertheless, SS is not a term agreed upon in practice by policymakers, researchers, or service providers and is frequently used without a clear common definition. In this sense, the purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which the top-down definition of ‘economic’ SS as the social policy goal is consistent with how the clients of job training programs perceive the term. Using a grounded theory approach, a bottom-up definition of SS was derived from a focus group of low-income jobseekers. The focus group was transcribed for a content analysis from which a client-centered definition of SS was drawn. Findings suggest that SS is a process of developing psychological strength properties and a goal-oriented progression toward realistic financial outcomes. Implications for evidence-based community interventions for client empowerment and workforce development are suggested.

Validation of the Employment Hope Scale Measuring Psychological Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers

Objectives: The Employment Hope scale (EHS) was designed to measure the empowerment-based self-sufficiency (SS) outcome among low-income job-seeking clients. This measure captures the psychological SS dimension as opposed to the more commonly used economic SS in workforce development and employment support practice. The study validates the EHS and reports its psychometric properties. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using an agency data from the Cara Program in Chicago, United States. The principal axis factor extraction process was employed to identify the factor structure. Results: EFA resulted in a 13-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing “Psychological Empowerment” and Factor 2 representing “Goal-Oriented Pathways.” Both factors had high internal consistency reliability and construct validity. Conclusions: While findings may be preliminary, this study found the EHS to be a reliable and valid measure, demonstrating its utility in assessing psychological SS as an empowerment outcome among low-income jobseekers.

Glocalization of social work practice: Global and local responses to globalization

Globalization has become a catchword for the integration of local markets into world capitalism. This article raises social justice concerns in governments shirking their social responsibilities for caring for those who are most vulnerable to the risk of globalization. By structuring the world as a global society where both local and global responses can interact to ameliorate the conditions of global citizens, the article proposes a glocalization approach to social work practice: thinking globally and acting locally (Lyons, 2006). It argues for the formation and growth of global civil society, accompanied by the establishment of a global social policy system and sub-systems.

Understanding Social Justice in Social Work: A Content Analysis of Course Syllabi:

In spite of the importance of social justice to the profession of social work, little research exists on the topic, contributing to what some have called a “conceptual muddle.” To help clarify the professions understanding of social justice, this study analyzed a representative sample of social justice syllabi (N=31). To analyze the textual data, keyword, cluster, and linking analyses were preformed. The findings suggest that (a) some groups and issues are highlighted at the expense of others and (b) a four-dimensional conceptualization of social justice may be embedded in course syllabi, implicitly informing professional discourse. The results are discussed in light of recent professional controversies related to social justice.

Structural Reinterpretation of Poverty by Examining Working Poverty: Implications for Community and Policy Practice

This exploratory research focused on the structural context of working poverty, thereby transcending its individual or behavioral aspects. Two major questions guided this study: (1) How are the working poor different compared to the working nonpoor? (2) How do structural conditions affect the chances of one being working poor? Central findings of the study were that four primary sets of factors—demographic, human capital, employment barriers, and labor market positions—contribute to an individuals likelihood of being among the working poor. The structural factors—employment barriers and labor market positions—significantly contributed to the effects of human capital and demographic variables. All four factors require attention in community and policy practice to improve the lot of American workers in an increasingly global marketplace.

Human capital as structural vulnerability of US poverty

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the individualistic and the structural nature of human capital and its relationship with poverty.Design/methodology/approach – An examination was made of the individual and the interaction effects of three dimensions of human capital (education, training, and health), gender, race, and underemployment on poverty status, after controlling for the direct effect of these variables. The sample included working‐age individuals in the USA taken from the 1996 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).Findings – The results show that among the human capital variables, postsecondary education is a particularly important factor associated with poverty among women and minorities. Job training, on the other hand, worsened the economic situation for non‐Whites. For individuals with less than post‐secondary education, the combined effect of training participation and health status significantly reduced the likelihood of being poor. Underemployment c...

Toward A Client-Centered Benchmark for Self-Sufficiency: Evaluating the ‘Process’ of Becoming Job Ready

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how service providers, clients, and graduates of a job-training program define the term self-sufficiency (SS). This community-engaged, mixed-method study qualitatively analyzes focus group data from each group and quantitatively examines survey data obtained from participants of the program. Findings reveal that psychological transformation, as a process, represents the emic definition of SS—psychological SS—but each dimension of the concept is reflected in varying degrees by group. Provider and participant views are vastly different from the outcome-driven policy and funder definitions. Implications for benchmarking psychological SS as an empowerment-based process measure of job readiness in workforce development evaluation are discussed.

Differential Effects of Human Capital on the Poor and Near-Poor: Evidence of Social Exclusion

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the body of knowledge by examining the differential effects of three dimensions of human capital—education, training, and health—on the poor and upper income categories. We tested the effects using binomial and multinomial logistic regression analyses of working age individuals. The study revealed that these human capital variables are strong predictors of poverty in the binomial model but have greater effects on the near-poor than the poor in the multinomial model. This may provide evidence for social exclusion of the poor, due to their structural vulnerability in the labor market. Implications are made for a comprehensive workforce development strategy that combine human capital development and labor market inclusion.

Evaluation of an Intensive In-Home Family Treatment Program to Prevent Out-Of-Home Placement

Family preservation programs were developed out of concern that some abused or neglected children were being placed unnecessarily in foster care without adequate attempts first being made to rehabilitate and retain the intact family. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intensive, in-home family preservation program, which provides counseling services to families at imminent risk of having a child or children removed from the home. Pre- and post-intervention scores showed statistically significant, positive change between the initial and termination assessments across five domains: family environment, family social support, family interactions, parent(s)/caregivers, and child well-being. Implications for social work practice, research, and advocacy are discussed.

A Multisample Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Short Employment Hope Scale (EHS-14)

ABSTRACT. Employment hope is an aspect of psychological self-sufficiency that captures the process of empowerment for low-income job seekers. It is posited that this process of maintaining and developing employment hope contributes to the economic self-sufficiency outcome. The preliminary 14-item 2-factor Employment Hope Scale (EHS) was previously developed using an exploratory factor analysis (Hong, Polanin, & Pigott, 2012). This study examines whether the same items could be validated using a multisample confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Given the unsatisfied model fit of the original 2-factor model, it was modified into a 4-factor model guided by theoretical suggestion from an earlier focus-group study. The multisample CFA on the modified model explained the data significantly better than did the initial model across 2 independent samples. Reliability and validity tests confirmed the factor structure of the modified model. This study confirms that the revalidated Short EHS (EHS-14) is a more robust version of the scale. Further research is needed to demonstrate its utility as a tool to benchmark the pre-employment client empowerment process in workforce development and to monitor postemployment employee support needs in the workplace for retention.