Search results for "Social Policy"

Pros and cons of family policies for mothers' labour market participation

2012

PurposeThe purpose of this editorial is to examine sociological research on the possibilities and pitfalls of social policies for mothers' employment participation, and identify research gaps in the existing literature. The paper aims to focus mainly on the implications of parental leave schemes on mothers' employment participation.Design/methodology/approachThe editorial discusses the inconsistencies in the current sociological debate on the impact of social policies on mothers' employment.FindingsThe relationship between parental leave policies and women's participation in the work force is complex. The literature shows a disagreement about whether such policies mitigate family‐related ca…

Latvia in search of a social policy model

1996

Do we value mobility?

2015

Is there a trade-off between people's preference for income equality and income mobility? Testing for the existence of such a trade-off is difficult because mobility is a multifaceted concept. We analyse results from a questionnaire experiment based on simple precise concepts of income inequality and income mobility. We fnd no direct trade-off in preference between mobility and equality, but an indirect trade-off, applying when more income mobility can only be obtained at the expense of some income inequality. Mobility preference - but not equality preference - appears to be driven by personal experience of mobility.

The Social Policy Index: It's Applicability in Latin American Countries

2014

Social Policy is a tool employed by states to intervene in society with an aim of reducing the effects of poverty and inequality by meeting people's basic needs. The question is how do we measure social policy? In 2006, the United Nations Organization proposed a Social Policy Index (SPI), a methodological tool to measure social policy, with the aim of understanding the current regimes of economic and social structures in each country. The SPI suggests quantifying the elements of social policy, without focusing on their results, preferring to identify how the policy and the efforts of each government are materialized in some social indexes like social spending, social security, taxes, and in…

Overcomplying for profit

2005

To maximize their profit, multinationals can design and implement the same and toughest standard in all locations, regardless of domestic regulations. We discuss this kind of overcompliance and stress its underpinnings. Some potential extensions are suggested.

Overcoming Barriers to Transnational Organizing Through Identity Work : Finnish-Estonian Trade Union Cooperation

2018

This article analyses a project by Finnish and Estonian unions to adopt ‘organizing model’ strategies through establishing the transnational ‘Baltic Organising Academy’. Initially aimed at Estonian workplaces, successful campaigns inspired Finnish unions to copy the model in Finland. This cooperation was originally motivated by labour market interdependence between the two countries, and the failure of past social-partnership oriented union strategies in Estonia. The willingness of Finnish and Estonian unions to commit resources to transnational cooperation around an ‘organizing model’ marks a dramatic departure from the unions’ previous strategies. This change was accomplished by transnati…

Fathers’ narratives on support and agency : a case study of fathers in a Finnish child welfare NGO

2017

In Finland, one of the Nordic countries, shared parenting is widely supported through, e.g. family policies and legislation. This is also evident in daily parental practices, as fathers’ share in childcare has increased notably since the late 1980s. Unfortunately, this is not the whole picture of Finnish and Nordic fatherhood: practitioners in child welfare also encounter many fathers with various problems in parenting and life management. In this article, we examine the narratives of fathers who have sought and received support from a Finnish nationwide child welfare NGO. Our research question is: What types of narratives on seeking and receiving support and on their agency do fathers prod…

EUROPEAN CONVERGENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL STRATEGY OF LATVIA

2014

The purpose of this study is to introduce evaluation of convergence policy activities in the European Union and to designate social development trends of Latvia in the context of reaching the goals of strategy “Europe 2020. The aim of the research has set the following tasks: to introduce the main EU social convergence theory investigations as the development challenges for improvement socio-economic well-being of the EU states; to evaluate current social situation and eventual social strategy of Latvia on 2014-2020; to estimate European convergence policy impact on the social development of Latvia. The strategic goals of EU policy are discussed as well as the development challenges for imp…

Conceptualising Violence in Close Relationships : Discrepancies Between Police Conceptions and the Letter of the Law in Finland

2020

AbstractThe focus in this Finland-based study is on violence in close relationships—a term that partly overlaps with the more commonly used ‘domestic violence’, ‘family violence’ and ‘intimate partner violence’. We demonstrate how police officers’ conceptualisations of such violence differ from how it is defined in relevant legal documents. The data consists of the Government Bill and legal text on the subject issued as part of a legal reform enacted in 2010, and of a qualitative sample of freelist responses from 79 police officers. We examined both sets of data using theory-driven directed content analysis and deriving from prevailing theoretical frameworks reflecting the family- and gende…

”Meillä ei ole politiikkaa valtionavustuksissa!”

2021

Valtionavustustoiminta on olennainen osa suomalaista yhteiskuntapolitiikkaa ja valtionhallinnon ohjausjärjestelmää. Avustamista toimeenpanevat ministeriöt, tulosohjatut virastot sekä muut asiantuntijaorganisaatiot. Artikkelimme tutkii kulttuurihallinnon virkakunnan vallankäyttöä opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön (OKM) valtionavustuspolitiikassa. Ymmärrämme kulttuurihallinnon ohjausvälineineen merkittävänä valtaa käyttävänä organisaatiorakenteena. Tarkastelu pohjautuu arviointitutkimukseen OKM:n tulosohjaaman asiantuntijaviraston Taiteen edistämiskeskuksen (Taike) valtionavustusprosessista. Artikkelimme on tapaustutkimus, jossa kuvaamme kulttuuripolitiikan toimeenpanorakent…