Axel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann, Combating Poverty: Quebec’s Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State. University of Toronto Press (2017), 232 pages, $37.50 (hardcover)

Lee, Jaewon

English

ScholarWorks at WMU

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare Volume 46 Issue 1 March Article 10 2019 Review of Combating Poverty: Quebec's Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State Axel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann Jaewon Lee Michigan State University, jlee88@csub.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw Recommended Citation Lee, Jaewon (2019) "Review of Combating Poverty: Quebec's Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State Axel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 46 : Iss. 1 , Article 10. Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol46/iss1/10 This Book Review is brought to you by the Western Michigan University School of Social Work. For more information, please contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu. 143Chapter TitleBook ReviewsAxel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann, Combating Poverty: Quebec’s Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State. University of Toronto Press (2017), 232 pages, $37.50 (hardcover). In this book, the authors address how Quebec has achieved a lower level of poverty when compared to the other three larg-est provinces in Canada, Ontario, British Columbia, and Al-berta. Using a quantitative approach, these authors explain the differences in social and labor market policies across these four provinces, and introduce how these differences result in dis-similar levels of poverty in the three provinces. Policy approaches in Quebec emphasize a social investment perspective, labor force participation (particularly amongst females with young children) and support for families with children. This exceptionalism in social and employment poli-cies has become more pronounced since the mid-2000s in com-parison with other provinces. Based on social investment, this approach results in benefits for both two-parent families and single-parent families in Quebec, leading to lower levels of pov-erty. These authors attribute Quebec’s success in reducing pov-erty rates to active labor market policy, which is derived from the ”Swedish model” of maintaining work for everyone. This is especially accurate considering the province’s focus on encour-aging women with children to participate in the labor force. In addition to successful labor market policies, there is indication that providing more generous welfare benefits to families con-tributes to the low levels of poverty in Quebec.  This book contains new information explaining Canada’s current status of poverty as well as recommendations regarding how to reduce poverty levels. Given that the authors used quan-titative data and compared findings from Quebec to those in oth-er provinces, their arguments are acceptable and reliable in so far as their analysis of the data is appropriate. However, readers should be aware of Quebec’s specific demographic, cultural, and geographic characteristics when interpreting the findings in this book. Such factors are often disregarded here, factors that may influence poverty rates across the four provinces. Because such factors are ignored in explaining the lower levels of poverty in Quebec compared to other provinces, their argument may not be as strong as it otherwise could be. Additional analysis and data 144 Journal of Sociology & Social Welfareare needed to supplement their argument. In other words, when generalizing the effectiveness of Quebec’s policies to reduce pov-erty compared with other provinces, readers may cast doubt on the feasibility of their recommendations because each place has its own set of characteristics, some of which are fixed and have developed over a long period of time. Although the authors do explain how Quebec’s policy approach achieves lower levels of poverty, it would improve the analysis to include the mission and values of the Quebec government. After all, policies do not operate independently from a government sense of mission and values. This approach might be more helpful to understand how Quebec has been able to develop and cultivate policies that lead to lower levels of poverty. Quebec’s following of the Swedish model has its own disad-vantages in terms of sustainability in a province with a smaller population of younger taxpayers and larger population of older adults receiving services, as well as an increasing influx of im-migrants who seek benefits. Thus, readers need to consider the sustainability of Quebec’s current policy approach.  Overall, this book is worth reading to understand different poverty levels in Canada, and how Quebec has achieved the lowest level of poverty. It remains open for educators, students, researchers, and policymakers to decide the extent to which Quebec’s policies may be applied to other regions.Jaewon LeeMichigan State UniversityCathleen A. Lewandowski, Child Welfare: An Integrative Perspective. Oxford University Press (2019), 320 pages, $65 (paperback).  Logically organized, with an integrative and holistic ap-proach to child welfare, Lewandowski introduces the historical evolution and present practices of child welfare in the United States, providing constructive suggestions for future directions of this field. The historical review on development and evolu-tion of child welfare policy and practice in the United States starts from the alternative care policies in the colonial era, such as the Elizabethan Poor Law, and continues to the modern-day 

Review of \u3cem\u3eCombating Poverty: Quebec\u27s Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State\u3c/em\u3e Axel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 
Volume 46 
Issue 1 March Article 10 
2019 
Review of Combating Poverty: Quebec's Pursuit of a Distinctive 
Welfare State Axel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, 
Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann 
Jaewon Lee 
Michigan State University, jlee88@csub.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw 
Recommended Citation 
Lee, Jaewon (2019) "Review of Combating Poverty: Quebec's Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State Axel 
Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann," The Journal of 
Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 46 : Iss. 1 , Article 10. 
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol46/iss1/10 
This Book Review is brought to you by the Western 
Michigan University School of Social Work. For more 
information, please contact wmu-
scholarworks@wmich.edu. 
143Chapter TitleBook Reviews
Axel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine 
Proulx, and Sam Faustmann, Combating Poverty: Quebec’s 
Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State. University of Toronto 
Press (2017), 232 pages, $37.50 (hardcover).
 In this book, the authors address how Quebec has achieved 
a lower level of poverty when compared to the other three larg-
est provinces in Canada, Ontario, British Columbia, and Al-
berta. Using a quantitative approach, these authors explain the 
differences in social and labor market policies across these four 
provinces, and introduce how these differences result in dis-
similar levels of poverty in the three provinces.
 Policy approaches in Quebec emphasize a social investment 
perspective, labor force participation (particularly amongst 
females with young children) and support for families with 
children. This exceptionalism in social and employment poli-
cies has become more pronounced since the mid-2000s in com-
parison with other provinces. Based on social investment, this 
approach results in benefits for both two-parent families and 
single-parent families in Quebec, leading to lower levels of pov-
erty. These authors attribute Quebec’s success in reducing pov-
erty rates to active labor market policy, which is derived from 
the ”Swedish model” of maintaining work for everyone. This is 
especially accurate considering the province’s focus on encour-
aging women with children to participate in the labor force. In 
addition to successful labor market policies, there is indication 
that providing more generous welfare benefits to families con-
tributes to the low levels of poverty in Quebec. 
 This book contains new information explaining Canada’s 
current status of poverty as well as recommendations regarding 
how to reduce poverty levels. Given that the authors used quan-
titative data and compared findings from Quebec to those in oth-
er provinces, their arguments are acceptable and reliable in so 
far as their analysis of the data is appropriate. However, readers 
should be aware of Quebec’s specific demographic, cultural, and 
geographic characteristics when interpreting the findings in this 
book. Such factors are often disregarded here, factors that may 
influence poverty rates across the four provinces. Because such 
factors are ignored in explaining the lower levels of poverty in 
Quebec compared to other provinces, their argument may not be 
as strong as it otherwise could be. Additional analysis and data 
144 Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
are needed to supplement their argument. In other words, when 
generalizing the effectiveness of Quebec’s policies to reduce pov-
erty compared with other provinces, readers may cast doubt on 
the feasibility of their recommendations because each place has 
its own set of characteristics, some of which are fixed and have 
developed over a long period of time. Although the authors do 
explain how Quebec’s policy approach achieves lower levels of 
poverty, it would improve the analysis to include the mission 
and values of the Quebec government. After all, policies do not 
operate independently from a government sense of mission and 
values. This approach might be more helpful to understand how 
Quebec has been able to develop and cultivate policies that lead 
to lower levels of poverty.
 Quebec’s following of the Swedish model has its own disad-
vantages in terms of sustainability in a province with a smaller 
population of younger taxpayers and larger population of older 
adults receiving services, as well as an increasing influx of im-
migrants who seek benefits. Thus, readers need to consider the 
sustainability of Quebec’s current policy approach. 
 Overall, this book is worth reading to understand different 
poverty levels in Canada, and how Quebec has achieved the 
lowest level of poverty. It remains open for educators, students, 
researchers, and policymakers to decide the extent to which 
Quebec’s policies may be applied to other regions.
Jaewon Lee
Michigan State University
Cathleen A. Lewandowski, Child Welfare: An Integrative Perspective. 
Oxford University Press (2019), 320 pages, $65 (paperback). 
 Logically organized, with an integrative and holistic ap-
proach to child welfare, Lewandowski introduces the historical 
evolution and present practices of child welfare in the United 
States, providing constructive suggestions for future directions 
of this field. The historical review on development and evolu-
tion of child welfare policy and practice in the United States 
starts from the alternative care policies in the colonial era, such 
as the Elizabethan Poor Law, and continues to the modern-day 


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Review of \u3cem\u3eCombating Poverty: Quebec\u27s Pursuit of a Distinctive Welfare State\u3c/em\u3e Axel Van Den Berg, Charles Plante, Hicham Raiq, Christine Proulx, and Sam Faustmann

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