Review of \u3cem\u3eFrom Welfare to Workfare: The Unintended Consequences of Liberal Reform 1945-1965.\u3c/em\u3e Jennifer Mittelstadt. Reviewed by Margaret Sharrard Sherraden.

Book review of Jennifer Mittelstadt. From Welfare to Workfare: The Unintended Consequences of Liberal Reform, 1945-1965. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2005. $49.95 hardback,$19.95 paperback

Poverty, Family Support, and Well-Being of Infants: Mexican Immigrant Women and Childbearing

Data reveal that despite high levels of poverty, Mexican immigrants have relatively few low birth weight babies. This unusual pattern suggests that there are protective social factors mediating the effects of povertyperhaps especially family support. Our study, based on in-depth interviews with immigrant women in Chicago, finds that family support does protect some women from delivering a low birth weight infant but it does not protect women living in extreme poverty. Implications for services to Mexican immigrant women in childbearing years and their families are presented. These findings also speak to broad issues in social policy, especially the need for outreach and basic support to the very poor

The Achievement Gap From a Capabilities and Asset Perspective

Current explanations for the achievement gap do not fully explain why high-achieving poor and minority children perceive of college as being out of reach. This paper reviews perspectives on the achievement gap and proposes a model that incorporates a capabilities and assets approach. The uneven playing field created by unequal distribution of assets sustains educational advantage and high expectations for college among children from families with assets, while dampening expectations for college among poor and minority children. As a possible avenue to closing the gap, we suggest that increasing poor and minority children’s capability for financing college may increase educational engagement and the likelihood that they will expect to attend college

Academic Capabilities and Disadvantaged Students: The Role of Institutions

Notwithstanding the far reaching intellectual and practical contributions of Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, researchers have suggested that it may not adequately address the role of institutions. This paper suggests that traditional measures of self-efficacy underemphasize institutional factors. This may have important implications, especially for considering the circumstances of disadvantaged groups. It may be productive to think of self-efficacy as a multidimensional construct that includes personal and institutional dimensions. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we examine how self-efficacy theory can be expanded to account for the social and economic realities of disadvantaged groups and lead to empirical work that can inform policy and programs

Financial Knowledge and Child Development Account Policy: A Test of Financial Capability

This study examines how study participants’ financial knowledge and participation in a Child Development Account (CDA) intervention affect 529 College Savings Plan account holding among caregivers of infants. The study uses data from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment (SEED OK, N=2,51), a statewide randomized experiment using a probability sample of infants selected from birth records. SEED OK is a policy test of universal and progressive CDAs that encourage families to accumulate assets for their children’s future. Results of logit regression show that participants’ financial knowledge is positively related to the account holding in the treatment group, but not in the control group. This finding implies that the effect of financial knowledge on financial decisions related to college savings is affected by institutional features, such as incentives and information. In other words, individuals’ financial knowledge may have positive impacts on 529 College Savings Plan account holding only if they are situated in institutional supports for savings. These findings support the propositions of financial capability, and suggest that expanding financial capability requires both improved individual financial knowledge and supportive policy

The Estimated Economic Value of a US Volunteer Abroad

The Estimated Economic Value of a US Volunteer Abroa

Perceived Impacts of International Service on Volunteers: Interim Results From a Quasi-Experimental Study

There is growing interest in the potential of international service to foster international understanding between peoples and nations and to promote global citizenship and intercultural cooperation, and international service may be growing in prevalence worldwide. Despite the scale of international service, its impacts are not well understood. Although there is a growing body of descriptive evidence about the various models and intended outcomes of international service, the overwhelming majority of research is based on case and cross-sectional studies, which do not permit conclusions about the impacts of international service. This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study that assesses perceptions of the impact of service on international volunteers, matched to a comparison group that did not volunteer internationally during the same study period. The results of this quasi-experimental study suggest that international volunteer service has a positive impact on international volunteers’ perceived international awareness, international social capital, and international career intentions. However, compared to the non-participants, results suggest that international service does not have an impact on volunteers’ perceived intercultural relations. In addition, several variables are found to influence specific outcomes

Perceived Impacts of International Service on Volunteers: Interim Results From a Quasi-Experimental Study

There is growing interest in the potential of international service to foster international understanding between peoples and nations and to promote global citizenship and intercultural cooperation, and international service may be growing in prevalence worldwide. Despite the scale of international service, its impacts are not well understood. Although there is a growing body of descriptive evidence about the various models and intended outcomes of international service, the overwhelming majority of research is based on case and cross-sectional studies, which do not permit conclusions about the impacts of international service. This paper reports on a quasi-experimental study that assesses perceptions of the impact of service on international volunteers, matched to a comparison group that did not volunteer internationally during the same study period. The results of this quasi-experimental study suggest that international volunteer service has a positive impact on international volunteers’ perceived international awareness, international social capital, and international career intentions. However, compared to the non-participants, results suggest that international service does not have an impact on volunteers’ perceived intercultural relations. In addition, several variables are found to influence specific outcomes

Young Children\u27s Perceptions of College and Saving: Potential Role of Child Development Accounts

This paper explores young children\u27s perceptions and expectations about attending college, and the potential influence of a savings program on shaping children\u27s perceptions about paying for college. As part of a four-year study of a school-based college savings program called “I Can Save”, this paper uses qualitative evidence from interviews conducted in second and fourth grades with a diverse group of 51 children. Findings suggest that most of the children in the study have a general understanding of college and have begun a process of considering higher education. Further, children in “I Can Save” are more likely than a comparison group of children to perceive that savings is a way to help pay for college

The Forms and Structure of International Voluntary Service

International voluntary service (IVS) has a significant and growing presence worldwide. IVS is a policy and program tool used for international development aid, humanitarian relief, and promotion of international understanding. In the last century, forms of IVS have proliferated, while research on scope, effectiveness, and impacts has lagged behind. We propose a typology that addresses duration, nature of service, and degree of “internationality.” Further, we identify IVS networks and support organizations that bolster the capacity of IVS sending and hosting organizations, and in this process create large and little recognized international institutions of cooperation. Building on the typology, we suggest program, policy, and research implications to advance knowledge of the role of IVS, its role in global civil society, and impacts it may have on human conditions and cross-cultural understanding