Podcasts about social assistance

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis spoke to John Maytham in response to growing concerns over the City’s proposed property rates and tariff changes for the 2025/26 budget. Addressing critics who argue that these changes could disproportionately impact households and small businesses, the Mayor highlighted the City’s efforts to cushion lower-income residents. He discussed South Africa’s most inclusive social assistance package, which includes the highest free water allocation, broad qualifying criteria for rates relief, and lifeline electricity. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is a podcast of the CapeTalk breakfast show. This programme is your authentic Cape Town wake-up call. Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit is informative, enlightening and accessible. The team’s ability to spot & share relevant and unusual stories make the programme inclusive and thought-provoking. Don’t miss the popular World View feature at 7:45am daily. Listen out for #LesterInYourLounge which is an outside broadcast – from the home of a listener in a different part of Cape Town - on the first Wednesday of every month. This show introduces you to interesting Capetonians as well as their favourite communities, habits, local personalities and neighbourhood news. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit. Listen live – Good Morning CapeTalk with Lester Kiewit is broadcast weekdays between 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) https://www.primediaplus.com/station/capetalk Find all the catch-up podcasts here https://www.primediaplus.com/capetalk/good-morning-cape-town-with-lester-kiewit/audio-podcasts/good-morning-cape-town-with-lester-kiewit/ Subscribe to the CapeTalk daily and weekly newsletters https://www.primediaplus.com/competitions/newsletter-subscription/ Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CapeTalk   CapeTalk on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@capetalk   CapeTalk on Instagram: www.instagram.com/capetalkza  CapeTalk on X: www.x.com/CapeTalk  CapeTalk on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The need for greater ‘localisation' of humanitarian and social assistance is clear in conflict and protracted crisis settings. The increasing difficulty for international organisations to operate is a key driver of localisation, as is the recognition of the essential role local actors (including government and civil society) play in improving the relevance, legitimacy, sustainability and effectiveness of aid. For social protection programs, the role of government as a local actor may be particularly complex or contested in these settings. This episode will explore the progress and challenges of this shift towards localisation, and how local organisations in Yemen and Southeast Asia have stepped up where international or government systems are weak. Meet our guests: Abeer Al-Absi, Independent Consultant, STAAR Facility and BASIC Research Aung Naing, Research Consultant   For our Quick Wins segment, we welcome Courtenay Cabot Venton, where she talks about the study ‘Passing the Buck: The Economics of Localizing International Assistance' with the Share Trust and the Warande Advisory Centre.   Resources: Humanitarian Activism, Social Protection, and Emergent Citizenship in Myanmar Sustaining Yemeni Capacities for Social Assistance

Jeff speaks with David Bent from Berwick, who says a courier delivered his packages (or pretended to deliver them) to the wrong house, and Ashley Farnsworth of Torbrook, who started a facebook group about this because so many people are having similar experiences with packages going missing.

Today's episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.  We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability” and in today's episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts about how social assistance can improve mental health in fragile settings. You will hear from:  Michael Mulford,  World Vision International Adiam Hailemichael, World Bank economist Melissa Hidrobo, Senior research fellow, IFRPRI  

Today's episode is produced in partnership with the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration for a series that examines what works to improve the well-being of people in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings. CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.  We are calling this series “From Fragility to Stability” and in today's episode I host a roundtable discussion with three experts about how to better deliver humanitarian and social assistance in fragile settings You will hear from: Kibrom Abay (IFPRI Senior Research Fellow - Development Strategies and Governance) Mitchell McTough (IWMI Postdoctoral Fellow – Water, Conflict & Resilience) Susanna Sandstrom (Senior Economist, Head of Economic and Markets Unit. You can find this episode and other episodes that are part of this series on GlobalDispatches.org

The Ministry of Equity, under the stewardship of Hon. Joachim A. Henry, is seeking to realign and strengthen the Public Assistance Programme (PAP), through the implementation of a much-needed Strategy for Graduation aimed at empowering beneficiaries and fostering economic independence.   Empowering individuals rather than fostering dependence on social support services is central to the initiative's success. Minister Henry underscored The government's commitment to this principle recently, as he highlighted future plans for the rollout of the Strategy for Graduation from Social Assistance in Saint Lucia (2022-2030). In his April 25, 2024-2025 Budget presentation, Minister Henry assured that his Ministry would apply the strategic approach outlined in the Strategy document to the Public Assistance Programme.

Advocates are hopeful the province will boost the rates for both Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program in this week's provincial budget. Chief Executive Officer at United Way Elgin Middlesex, Kelly Ziegner, has been lobbying to have the rates doubled.

Good day ladies and gentlemen, this is IRC news, I am Joy Stephen, a certified Canadian Immigration practitioner, and I bring to you this Provincial News Bulletin from the province of Prince Edward Island. This recording originates from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario.With revenues forecasted at $3.15 billion and planned spending of $3.23 billion, the province is expecting a deficit of approximately $85 million. The 2024-2025 budget focuses on improving healthcare, building housing and helping with the cost of living while supporting young and old Island residents, their families, and the places they live, learn and work.Highlights of the new investments in this budget include:Improving Your Healthcare$10.5 million to add more patient medical homes$9.9 million to support the implementation of a medical school$7.1 million to add more doctors and more residency seats$6.2 million to improve our recruitment of healthcare professionals$4.9 million to provide more supports for seniors$4.5 million to move towards wage parity for long-term care$3.7 million to enhance access to care$3 million to deliver mental health services$2.4 million to integrate associate physicians and physician assistants$2.2 million to train and upskill more RCWs, LPNs, paramedics and RNsBuilding Together$10 million to grow and maintain our inventory of affordable units$6.9 million to expand shelter spaces and improve supports for vulnerable Islanders$6.7 million for tax rebates for builders$1.6 million to support social housing units$200,000 to support creation of a land use planHelping with Everyday Costs$14.6 million for tax system changes$7.3 million for incentives to install heat pumps, hot water heaters and insulation$3.1 million to improve supports for Social Assistance and AccessAbility Support clients$1.1 million to introduce a PEI Children's Benefit$1 million to keep public transit fares affordable and add transit routes$380,000 to expand the seniors independence initiativeLearning and Growing$7 million to add more front-line staff to the education system$4.3 million to grow childcare supports and spaces$1 million to support school food programs$940,000 to enhance the George Coles Bursary$708,000 to implement a vision care program for childrenSafer Communities and Strengthening Industries$2.4 million to implement the Gender-based Violence Action Plan$2 million to grow the bioscience sector$1 million to fund operating costs of the EV charging network$1 million to strengthen agriculture$773,000 to improve impaired driving enforcement$500,000 to begin development of a coastal management plan$500,000 to expand the tourism season$205,000 to support diversity and inclusion$150,000 to address workforce challenges of municipal police servicesFor Health Care and Social Services personnel exploring the possibility of immigrating to PEI, this announcement carries significant weight. It offers valuable insights into the prevailing landscape of their sector, empowering Health Care and Social Services personnel to tailor their immigration plans in accordance with the evolving needs of the industry.  You can always access past news from the Province of Prince Edward Island by visiting this link: https://myar.me/tag/pe/.Furthermore, if you are interested in gaining comprehensive insights into the Provincial Express Entry Federal pool Canadian Perman

Five years after arriving in Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resettlement program, 50% of Syrian refugees are still reliant on social assistance. Plus, Liberal MP and former justice minister David Lametti has resigned his seat and is leaving politics. And the United Kingdom has paused free trade deal talks with Canada. Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Isaac Lamoureux! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelly Ziegner, President and CEO of United Way Elgin Middlesex, joins Mike Stubbs to talk about the town-hall being held on Monday, January 15th to talk more about the lack of funding that people on social assistance programs are experiencing and how that is impacting them in finding housing, work and other services. Ziegner breaks down the shocking numbers that people within these programs are having to live on, and why an increase is needed.

Vince Calderhead is a human rights lawyer based in Halifax, He went before the NS Assistance Appeal Board to argue that his former client who died last month should have been receiving higher social assistance payments. Stevie Lewis tells us about finding "fatbergs" on the shore of Big Glace Bay Beach. And on the phone-in: Sleep consultant Ashley Cooley answers questions about helping babies and children get better sleep

Following the 2018 Boland Review into the model Work Health and Safety provisions, workplace psychosocial safety has squarely been on the policy agenda.  Combined with recent changes as a result of the Respect@Work Report, the clear policy position, and expectation of society, is one of employers taking responsibility and being accountable for having workplaces that are both physically and psychologically safe.  In South Australia, its version of amendments to the Work Health and Safety regulations to deal with psychosocial safety commence on 25 December 2023, following similar legislative reform around Australia in each of the jurisdictions with the model Work Health and Safety laws.  Victoria is currently considering similar, though potentially more far-reaching, provisions.   In this episode of the Podcast, Emily Haar and Emily Slaytor discuss what it means to have a workplace that is psychosocially safe, including what psychosocial hazards are, how to spot them and manage them, and what organisations need to do to both be compliant, but to also prove compliance in the event that a regulator takes interest.  Directors and senior executives in particular need to think about how they will ensure appropriate “due diligence” to comply with their duties as officers under work health and safety law.  Some resources you may be interested in to explore this further include: 2018 Boland Review: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation/model-whs-laws/review-model-whs-laws Respect@Work: https://www.respectatwork.gov.au/ The Safe Work Australia Model Code of Practice:  https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/model-code-practice-managing-psychosocial-hazards-work The US Surgeon-General's Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/workplace-mental-health-well-being.pdf Curtin University and the University of Sydney, ‘How work design shapes mental health in the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry,' July 2023, https://8bd0f060-89c2-4f20-bced-abb2e8c5789f.usrfiles.com/ugd/4faa3e_a32fcac432d14fbaac489ab570648843.pdf

Cecile Cassista is the Executive Director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents‘ Rights.

Newfoundland and Labrador has announced a poverty reduction plan. How could this be used a national template? News panelists Michelle McQuigge and Joeita Gupta weigh in with their thoughts. From the November 10, 2023, episode.

You'd probably guess that a major factor contributing to homelessness is a lack of money. Yet, very few programs provide unconditional and lump sum cash to unhoused individuals as a solution. There are a number of barriers that have impeded the broad implementation of this type of assistance, which include the lack of policymaker support and public mistrust in homeless people's ability to manage money. Our guest this week found that direct cash transfers actually result in net societal savings over time. Jiaying Zhao is an associate professor, Canada research chair and a Sauder distinguished scholar at the University of British Columbia. She co-authored “Unconditional cash transfers reduce homelessness,” which was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. Zhao, who has personally experienced housing insecurity in the past, joins WITHpod to discuss the cognitive taxes of poverty, rethinking the homogenous narrative about who homeless people are, the most surprising findings from the study, intended policy changes and more.

After 2 years of COVID-19-dominated headlines, record inflation rates, and climate events taking centre stage in the global debate, it comes as no surprise that social protection might be called on to respond to these multifaceted crises. But can we forecast what the future of social protection might hold based on its latest developments?  For the final episode of the year, we invited Ugo Gentilini, Global Lead for Social Assistance at the World Bank, for a wide-ranging interview looking back at the main social protection themes in 2022. Among other topics, we talk about persisting myths, pathways for universality and the most interesting papers released over the year to help you catch up with that reading goal you might have set for yourself some months ago.  To shake up our traditional format a bit, the interview was paired with contributions by other members of our Social Protection Community, drawing attention to the big highlights of 2022, and their resolutions for the coming year. This episode features contributions from:  Tomoo Okubo, Policy Specialist, UNICEF  Christina Dankmeyer, Social Protection and Climate Change Specialist, ILO  Vania Budianto, PhD Candidate, Australian National University  Dr. Safdar A. Sohail, Dean of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), Pakistan  Resources:  Weekly Social Protection Links: Ideas, evidence and practices from the world of social protection... by Ugo Gentilini  World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future  Tracking Global Social Protection Responses to Price Shocks: Living Paper v.3  The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity The Politics of Distributing Social Transfers: State Capacity and Political Contestation in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia How Effective Is (More) Money? Randomizing Unconditional Cash Transfer Amounts in the US 

Thunder Bay Superior North MPP, Lise Vaugeois, participated in the ‘Social Assistance Diet' for two weeks. Karen Magee lets us in on this initiative.

In her Central regional report, Karen Magee shares an update on how it went for Ontario MPPs who went on a “social assistance diet” for two weeks. From the September 29, 2022 episode.

Ontario Hubs affordability journalist Kat Eschner discusses her research into the call to increase ODSP and Ontario Works assistance payments due to inflation and rising costs of living.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While many of us are feeling the pinch on our wallets due to the rising costs of everyday goods, those who are feeling it even more are individuals who are in social assistance programs. Kat Eschner, TVO's Affordability Reporter, came on to talk to Alex about it and why TVO is introducing the affordability beat.

Very interesting conversation with Spencer.  Who knew that Social Assistance was available to people with eating disorders?  I know I am in Canada, however, I think the conversation about mental health and how Bulimia falls under this category, is really important for my listeners to know, globally.You can find Spencer at https://www.bishinspublishing.com/The site includes the book overview, where to purchase, and links to both interviews and Spencer's social media links.More about Spencer:Spencer Bishins has a master's degree from the London School of Economics, and a law degree from Florida State University. Working for SSA for more than 10 years, he drafted or reviewed thousands of disability decisions. After leaving SSA, he wanted to help demystify the complicated disability system. His first book, Social Security Disability Revealed: Why it's so hard to access benefits and what you can do about it, explores the obstacles that disability claimants face as they try to access benefits. Support the show

For so many experiencing homelessness, income security plays a large part.  Join us this week on the On The Way Home podcast as we are joined by Maytree's Garima Talwar Kapoor to talk about their recently released Social Assistance report, and the need for impactful changes moving forward. This episode is made possible by CAEH.

This is a long episode that is a production and presentation from a conference presentation and a lecture. The paper was published in 2011 but then revised and updated by the Neoliberal Corporation and published in their Journal: Towards Developing a Journal of Caribbean Perspective. The Podcast is entitled: Redistributing Income to the Poor, Towards Sustaining Development: Social Assistance in Jamaica and the United States of America - The NeoLiberal. This paper is part of a thesis Written by Renaldo C. McKenzie in partial fulfillment of his Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts at the University of Pennsylvania, published in 2011, updated with an extended conclusion April, 2022. This paper is published as part of a series of paper that will be presented as Jamaica celebrates sixty (60) years of Independence this year beginning August 6, 2022. VP Kamala Harris and the PM of Jamaica Andrew Holness met recently to discuss how the US can continue to support and strengthen Jamaica's goals towards realizing their goals of sustainable development especially in the area of building their human capital. This paper examines how extensive and effective Jamaica's, and the United States social security program is particularly, social policy on poverty reduction. We will explore the Program of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) aimed at providing unemployment cash assistance to the poor and unemployed. This includes making comparisons with similar programs (TANF) in the United States. Uppermost in our consideration is the impact of neoliberal globalization on Jamaica's and vulnerable people's ability to provide welfare to its citizens and or to create a path towards sustainable development including poverty reduction and increased distributional equity. The episode is broken up into several segments: 1. Preface and Introduction, 2. Jamaica's Social & Economic Context; 3. The D/Evolution of Social Assistance; 5. Redistribution Outcomes of PATH & TANF; 6. Conclusion: A. How Effective is PATG and TANF in targeting the poor? And B. The need for a workable and sustainable-sustainable development plan. Reference List, Videos and end Notes available on https://theneoliberal.com. Here's the Abstract: Abstract: This paper examines how extensive and effective Jamaica's, and the United States social security program is particularly, social policy on poverty reduction. We will explore the Program of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) aimed at providing unemployment cash assistance to the poor and unemployed. This includes making comparisons with similar programs (TANF) in the United States. Uppermost in our consideration is the impact of neoliberal globalization on Jamaica's and vulnerable people's ability to provide welfare to its citizens and or to create a path towards sustainable development including poverty reduction and increased distributional equity. Https://theneoliberal.com/ https://rmckenzie.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal/support

The province is making big changes to social assistance, including its infamous household income policy. But advocates say it doesn't go far enough. We'll hear from Social Development Minister Bruce Fitch and then Kaitlyn Layden a disability rights advocate here in Saint John.

John McKiggan, the co-lead counsel in a proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of persons who have been waitlisted for the Disability Sup[port Programs and other social assistance. speaks with Jeff Douglas about that comes next.

Hey there Moms!

Unsere Reise in dieser Folge geht rund 4.000 Kilometer in den Südosten - nach Jordanien. Die Corona-Pandemie hat das Land schwer getroffen, die Wirtschaft leidet stark. Die Schweiz unterstützt das Land unter anderem mit der sogenannten "Cash und Social Assistance". Wie hilft diese Form der Unterstützung den Menschen vor Ort?

We recently heard an impassioned plea from a Halifax resident about how difficult it is to eat well on social assistance. Katherine de Sousa spent a whole day reaching out to members of the Nova Scotia legislature after seeing a cry for help from a friend on social media.

Many people who rely on the Ontario Disability Support Program are finding it more difficult than ever to make ends meet, and finding their money runs out well before each month ends. Hamilton-Niagara Hub journalist Justin Chandler has been looking into the gap between that support and the rising cost of living, and what further measures can be taken to help people get through what continues to be an uncertain time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some changes are coming to the province's social assistance program. People receiving social assistance will see reduced clawbacks if they work, receive child support or live with parents. Randy Hatfield with the Human Development Council breaks things down for us. And Ken Pike with the New Brunswick Association for Community Living joins us to talk about how the changes will affect people with disabilities.

Canada is among the world's 10 wealthiest countries. Yet food insecurity has been rising. Around one in eight Canadian households experienced food insecurity in 2018. A figure that has likely grown, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada reported 4.4 million Canadians living in food insecure households in 2017 to 2018. The biggest number ever recorded. Like the U.S. and U.K., Canada has seen significant growth in food banks over the past 40 years, and many Canadians see food charity as a key solution to hunger. Interview Summary In this episode, we talked to Canadian food policy and food insecurity expert Valerie Tarasuk, of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. She leads the PROOF Research program to identify effective policy approaches, to reduce household food insecurity in Canada. We asked Tarasuk how hunger and food insecurity are defined in Canada; who it affects, and solutions to address the problem. You have researched different aspects of food insecurity for many years, but let's start with some basic definitions. Can you please explain for us the difference between the terms hunger and food insecurity? What do they mean in Canada, and why is this a problem we should care about? Well, I mean the meaning of those terms in Canada is probably very similar to the meaning anywhere else. That hunger is a physiologic sensation that signals the need for food. And food insecurity at least as we use that term in Canada, refers to inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. Where it plays out though in Canada, that I think is important is that the term hunger is often used in conjunction with food charity in Canada. So we see food banks for example, appealing to people to make donations to stop hunger in their community, or to make sure nobody goes hungry in their community. And so now we're talking about a very short term sensation. Everybody can relate to being hungry, a simple idea. But that somehow has taken on a life of its own as a way to understand the problem with people not having enough money for food. And where it's concerning for people like me. Is that going along with that understanding of hunger, is this idea that the way to fix it is to give food, make a donation. As opposed to food insecurity, where we've got a very tightly scripted definition and measurement of that problem in Canada and it's routinely monitored. That's really interesting. So if I'm understanding you correctly, if hunger inspires an emotional response and therefore feels the need for immediate action. While food insecurity is something that is measured. And you mentioned a little bit about how it's measured. Could you go a little bit more into that for me? And talk about the extent of household food insecurity and who's most impacted by it in Canada? We've been monitoring food insecurity systematically since 2005. And when I say we, it's Statistics Canada that measures food insecurity. Where we're using the 18 item module that was developed by USDA and is used in the United States to monitor food insecurity as well. It's not perfect. There are only nationally representative samples with food insecurity measurements for some years since 2005. But we've collected a huge amount of data from these surveys. And so we know a lot about who's got the problem and what's driving it. The rate of food insecurity varies dramatically depending on where you live. In our most recent measurement which was over the period of 2017/18. The rate ranged from 11% in the province of Quebec to 57% in Nunavut. Nunavut is a very small population, but it's our most Northern territory in Canada. And since monitoring began, Nunavut's rate of food insecurity has steadily risen. So there's dramatic differences across the country, but nowhere in Canada, do we even find a rate as low as one in 10 households being food insecure. In addition to geographic differences, we've got profound differences with respect to vulnerability around household characteristics. The mere fact that there's a child in the household is enough to increase the probability of food insecurity. The problem is very much racialized, even though the vast majority of people who are food insecure are white, because that's the population in Canada. We see stark differences in the probability of food insecurity amongst black and indigenous households, with rates that are two or three times, those of white households. Also, we can see very clear patterns in terms of the relationship between food insecurity and people's income and assets and income sources, about two thirds of food insecure in Canada are in the workforce. So working but unable to garner enough income to make ends meet. On top of that we've got high rates of food insecurity among people on some income support programs in Canada, specifically Welfare, Social Assistance, and also employment insurance. So there's a patterning of it that relates to both geography, but also social and economic variables that associate with social and economic disadvantage in the country. It seems like there's definitely patterns in what you're seeing in the data. What do you think this tells us about the causes of food insecurity in Canada? I think at the end of the day, food insecurity is about people not having enough money for food. And so it tracks very, very tightly with other indicators of adequate stable incomes and assets. And so what are the causes we've got society right now in which we have a substantial slice of our population who are unable to garner enough income, either through employment or through social benefits to manage. I would say that that is the cause. Layered onto that we've got the racialized aspect of food insecurity that can only be interpreted as a story of systemic discrimination and the legacy of colonization in our country. Sadly, even after we take into account income and assets and other sorts of variables that in the general population associate with food insecurity or increased risk of food insecurity to be Black or Indigenous you still have an elevated risk. And so it can only be interpreted as an issue of systemic racism and the flip side of it being white supremacy that in ways permeates our workforce our housing market, the administration of some social benefits, it's insidious that problem. But it's one that food insecurity among other things is forcing us to reckon with. My final question brings us to solutions. I know that I, myself as an American, we really think of Canada as having a strong social safety net. And it seems like that's something that Canada prides itself for doing as well. Many Canadians though have come to see food charity as a prominent public solution to household food insecurity. So from your years of research and advocacy, how has food insecurity generally been managed or governed in Canada? It's very interesting. I mean, we do pride ourselves in having a strong social safety net. And in fact although we use the same questionnaire as used in the United States, we code it differently. We treat it differently. So the truth is our prevalence of food insecurity is way lower than the U.S. And I think that is about the social safety net that we've got. But, that social safety net has never been designed explicitly to prevent people from being food insecure. And what we've seen over time is that it's not doing that. So we've got these lightning rods, like the fact that the mere presence of a child under the age of 18 in a household is enough to trigger an increased risk of food insecurity. Or the receipt of social assistance, or employment insurance, benefits, is enough to increase risk. Those tell us that the safety net isn't as good as it needs to be. But I think part of the problem is that the provision of income and cash transfers, which is the primary mechanism in our social safety net. That system is not explicitly designed to prevent people from being food insecure. So there are situations where people are receiving income supports, but they're insufficient. Then we've got this other side of the equation, which is food charity. So the public face of the problem still remains food banks and the appeals continue that if you want to end hunger in your community or deal with this problem, give to your local food bank. We see charitable food assistance programs sometimes calling themselves food security programs. As if the fact that they provide people with food is providing them with food security, which we know isn't true. So we've got a very strong social safety net that just needs to be made a bit better to insulate Canadians from food insecurity or income related problems of food insecurity. And then we've got this other side of the equation, which is this craziness of the continued promotion of food charity as if it's somehow managing this problem. And many of us have argued over the years that that craziness, that illusion, that food charity is somehow managing the problem is part of why our social safety net or income support programs have not become accountable for this problem of food insecurity, in the way that they need to be.

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China.

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

Development economists have been doing intensive research in recent years on conditional cash transfer programs as a tool to help get people out of poverty. Meanwhile in the US there has been a lot of talk about Universal Basic Income as a remedy for inequality and social disclocations. On paper, China's Minimum Livelihood Guarantee, or Dibao, sounds a lot like Universal Basic Income. Jennifer Pan shows that this tool of poverty alleviation has instead been turned into a tool of surveillance and oppression. Ultimately, this focus on “stability” may backfire. Pan's book Welfare for Autocrats: How Social Assistance in China Cares for Its Rulers (Oxford UP, 2020) offers insights gleaned from a remarkable combination of in-person field interviews, surveys, online field experiments, and data generated from automated analyses of massive numbers of government documents and social media posts. Jennifer Pan is an Assistant Professor of Communication, and an Assistant Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University. She conducts research at the intersection of political communication and authoritarian politics, showing how authoritarian governments try to control society, how the public responds, and when and why each is successful. Host Peter Lorentzen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of San Francisco, where he leads a new digital economy-focused Master's program in Applied Economics. His research examines the political economy of governance and development in China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/communications

Jeff and Kevin conduct a 30-minute interview in English with the leader of West Java's 50 million residents on 23 July.  Gov Kamil provides a thorough overview of crisis conditions and describes measures to manage an acute shortage of healthcare personnel.  Also, the provincial government's initiatives to extend telemedicine, free vitamins and drugs and basic social assistance for the poor.  The governor also touches on investment inflows and factory workforce management in West Java's vast industrial sector.Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at:https://bit.ly/reformasifreeSupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiSupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi

What are NAICS Codes, the North American Industry Classification System codes?  Welcome to our podcast FedBiz 5, where you get informed, get connected and get results.  In our last episode we discussed, “What is SAM?” – The System for Award Management.   Now we will learn more about NAICS Codes and their importance in your SAM registration.NAICS Codes are the six-digit identification standard used by federal statistical agencies in classifying businesses for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.  For federal contracting, these are the codes the government researches to find goods and services for award opportunities.An important part of the SAM registration process is ensuring a business has properly categorized its industry codes in their SAM registration. The six-digit NAICS Code can be broken down into specific levels by each digit of the code.  The NAICS code has 20 primary two-digit Sectors. The NAICS hierarchy includes 99 three-digit Subcategories, 311 four-digit Industry Groups, and 709 five-digit NAICS Industry Designations.  There are 1,057 six-digit NAICS Codes.NAICS Code Structure by Sector:SECTOR                DESCRIPTION | 11 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting| 21 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction| 22 | Utilities| 23 | Construction| 31-33 | Manufacturing| 42 | Wholesale Trade| 44-45 | Retail Trade| 48-49 | Transportation and Warehousing| 51 | Information| 52 | Finance and Insurance| 53 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing| 54 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services| 55 | Management of Companies and Enterprises| 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services| 61 | Educational Services| 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance| 71 | Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation| 72 | Accommodation and Food Services| 81 | Other Services (except Public Administration)| 92 | Public AdministrationNAICS Codes describe in general “HOW” purchased products and/or services are produced.  For example, NAICS Code 541611 is defined as ‘Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services.'  NAICS Codes do not describe who a business sells to.  NAICS Codes are based on a production-oriented concept, meaning that it groups businesses into industries according to similarity in the processes used to produce goods and/or services.In SAM, NAICS Codes should be focused on core business.  Too much disparity or too many NAICS Codes can give the impression the business is not focused.  What do you want to sell to the government? Less is more in this instance, and that focus is very important.FedBiz Access' fulfillment team takes the time to understand their client's business and asks questions to pull information from the client to ensure their registration is complete, optimized and verified.This podcast is sponsored by FedBiz Access - https://fedbizaccess.com.  For government contracting made simple, call (888) 299-4498.

In the months of June and July, the Social Protection Podcast is hosting a special series in partnership with ODI and GIZ. Across six episodes, our guest host Francesca Bastagli, Director of the Equity and Social Policy programme and Principal Research Fellow at ODI, will moderate conversations around the guiding question: “Covid-19: a turning point for social protection?”. These six episodes are part of an ODI research project, funded by GIZ, on the emerging evidence and learning from social protection measures adopted in the early months, and within the first year, of the onset of the Covid-19 crisis. It asks how effective have social protection responses to Covid-19 to date been, especially for some of those hardest hit, including refugees, women, informal workers and people living in urban areas? What policy features enabled or hindered adequate crisis response? And, while many of the measures are temporary, what potential opportunities and risks do they present for strengthening social protection in the long term? The ODI-GIZ study covers six thematic areas, each with an accompanying paper. Each week of this podcast special series, Francesca will be joined by the lead author of one of the papers, along with an expert discussant. This episode looks at social protection in urban contexts since the onset of the pandemic, with a particular focus on social assistance and cash transfers. When Covid-19 hit, existing provision of urban social assistance was limited in many low and middle-income countries. The crisis quickly exposed this gap, with urban dwellers facing a high risk of infection and livelihoods losses as the virus spread. In response to these urgent needs, emergency measures were widely taken to step up assistance in urban areas. How well have these efforts supported urban residents through the crisis so far? Do the Covid-19 measures hold potential to help address gaps in provision in the longer term? What is the emerging evidence and learning for improving future social protection for urban dwellers? This episode was inspired by the ODI-GIZ project thematic paper “Covid-19: crisis as opportunity for urban cash transfers?” by Keetie Roelen, Edward Archibald and Christy Lowe (2021). Our guests this week are: Keetie Roelen, Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Center for Social Protection at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Ugo Gentilini, Global Lead for Social Assistance, World Bank   Episode links Entering the City : Emerging Evidence and Practices with Safety Nets in Urban Areas (2015) Cash in the City : Emerging Lessons from Implementing Cash Transfers in Urban Africa (2021) Webinar recording - Taking stock at the one-year mark: social protection during COVID-19 and beyond

An ongoing, year-long, analysis of the impacts of cash grants to Syrian refugees in Lebanon reveals some striking results, including that the grants reduce the risk of child labor and early marriage of women. If so, these benefits will impact successive generations, explains Economics Associate Professor Dr. Nisreen Salti.

Kim Houghton, Chief Economist at the Regional Australia Institute Chief Economist, joins Michael to discuss their latest report that reveals the demand for workers in regional Australia has hit an all-time high, with more than 66,200 jobs available in regional towns and cities across the country.   In March 2021, a record number of jobs were advertised in regional areas of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.   In Queensland and Western Australia, regional job vacancies were not far below previous records, while in the Northern Territory, regional job ads have been trending higher over the past eight months.   Dr Houghton says the Dubbo and Western NSW Region recorded the strongest annual growth, with job ads up by 117% in the year to March 2021.   “Each and every one of the thirty-two regions outside of the mainland state capitals had more vacancies in March 2021 than in the previous month and also more vacancies than a year earlier,” Dr Houghton says.   The stand-out sector driving labour demand in regional areas is Health Care and Social Assistance, followed by Public Administration and Safety, then the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services sectors.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Modelling from health officials indicate that approximately 35 people in Ontario have died because their surgeries were postponed due to COVID-19. Hosts Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath discuss the ripple effects that the coronavirus is having on patients in the health-care system. Also, Garima Talwar Kapoor, director of policy and research at the Maytree Foundation, joins the podcast to discuss the province's decision to deduct the Canada Emergency Response Benefit from social-assistance income.

It's a dirty job but someone has to do it. Good thing The Blindnamic Duo are back and ready to get serious!   This week, Marc and Jan are getting into the nitty gritty of finding a job when you're disabled. sharing some personal experiences, the two also cover why certain solutions don't always work and how things tie into social assistance. At the end of the day there ain't no party like a blind job party so get ready for an in depth discussion about employment. Disabled workplaces represent, yo!   All kidding aside, we get a bit more serious than usual but still maintain the charm you've come to know and love. How did Marc over think himself out of a job not once but twice? What would he do to gain an advantage over Jan in an interview? Why is she obsessed with car metaphors and what makes our podcast absolute rubbish? There's only one way to find out!   Don't be a dingleberry: Make your earholes happy by subscribing for free and listening to our latest podisodes as soon as they're released. Just search for Blind Luminations wherever great podcasts are found or click here. (Warning: This week's podisode features two minor swear words -- just in case you're listening near the kiddos... no f-bombs though, you have our Blind Luminations guarantee!)   Follow us through social media on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/blindluminations/, twitter at https://twitter.com/blindlumination/ and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blindluminations/. You'll be glad you did!   (Episode Art: An image depicts stick figures of Marc and Jan on the left. Jan says "“that moose job is getting away” and Marc, holding a gun, says "Hasta la vista, jobby." The stick figure of a man on the right replies, “I said I’m from MooseJaw!" The words "Blind Job Hunting" are written in big letters above the scene. The sketch was drawn by Marc Rocheleau, who is completely blind.)

As a follow up to the episode of The Agenda with Steve Paikin talking about the upside-down world of financial planning for low-income Canadians, I had John Stapleton on the podcast to discuss it in more detail. John has been a tireless advocate for getting the word out on this complex issue and was the person who first brought it to my attention many years ago.

In this episode Chris Jordan, GDI’s Communications & impact Manager, talks to social assistance expert Professor Armando Barrientos. They discuss why Armando decided to specialise in social assistance and how it has changed over the last 20 years. Professor Barrientos also explains his new social assistance explorer which is the first database to bring together data on low and middle income countries and allow researchers to study and compare programmes at a cross-national, regional and global basis. Finally Armando looks forward to how he thinks social assistance will develop over the next 5 to 10 years.

Alexi, Alvin and Chris sit down with Social Assistance expert and former Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) advisor John Stapleton to discuss the Ford government's plan to reform social assistance. There's a LOT they didn't tell you in the press release. 

Alex Pierson is joined by Victor Willis, Executive Director, PARC - Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, to discuss the Ontario Government's overhaul to the social assistance program. Is the current system helping people or trapping people in a cycle of dependancy? Pierson and Willis discuss the implications of the reform and the best practices to decrease poverty.

The Ontario government is changing the standards about who qualifies for disability assistance and allowing more people to earn money while receiving social assistance. Listen: https://omny.fm/shows/bill-kelly-show/sarcoa-provincial-trade-and-social-assistance Guest: Laura Cattari, Chair of Social Policy working group of Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

Photo: (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young) The city of Hamilton and the Waterfront trust won a clash in the lawsuit launched by the owners of Sarcoa. The Superior Court dismissed the owner's motion to slap a certificate of pending litigation, which would've stopped the sale of the building. Guest: Jason Farr, City Councillor, Ward 2. A meeting is taking place between provincial and territorial ministers to discuss internal trade. This issue has come to the forefront particularly over the past year when it comes to the beverage and alcohol sector. What could we expect out of this? Guest: Brian Kelcey, VP of Policy at the Toronto Board of Trade.  The Ontario government is changing the standards about who qualifies for disability assistance and allowing more people to earn money while receiving social assistance. Guest: Laura Cattari, Chair of Social Policy working group of Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

James Collura, a recipient of the program says that the cuts may leave people in limbo.

Why isn’t social assistance improving health outcomes?, a Policy Options podcast. Income levels and health are closely linked, and people living in poverty are far more likely to have poor health than people with higher incomes. Social assistance programs should be helping to close this gap, but a study recently submitted to the Ontario government shows that support programs in Canada, the US and the UK are falling short. Arjumand Siddiqi joined the podcast to discuss social determinants of health, the results of her study, and why we need more effective strategies to address income-based health inequities. Arjumand Siddiqi is an expert adviser with EvidenceNetwork.ca, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity. Read the Policy Options article she co-authored: Social assistance is not improving health. Download for free. New episodes every second Wednesday. Tweet your questions and comments to @IRPP.

Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MPP and Poverty Reduction critic Paul Miller has reintroduced his legislation, Bill 6, in regards to those on social assistance and ensuring that they receive adequate rates. This bill has been brought up before but has twice been left to die as a result of prorogation.   Guest: Paul Miller, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek NDP MPP.

The Carnegie Community Action Project has just published its 10th annual housing report. It measures whether people living on a low-income can afford to continue living in their neighbourhood. Lama Mugabo is with CCAP. He explains why 2017 was the worst year for local residents since 2008.

Even as the China’s economic reforms in the 1980s and 90s laid the foundation for it to become an economic powerhouse, increasingly wide gaps opened up between rich and poor, leaving behind those ill equipped to compete in a market economy. The massive changes taking place were also reflected in the uneven distribution of social welfare benefits, which tended to accrue to those best positioned to succeed under the new system. In 1993, Shanghai implemented a minimum livelihood guarantee or dibao, an anti-poverty safety net. Since then, the program has expanded throughout China and is centrally regulated. Today, it serves as the country’s primary social insurance program. Even though it is the largest welfare program in the world, there has been little English-language research evaluating the effectiveness of the dibao system. In her new book, Welfare, Work, and Poverty: Social Assistance in China, Columbia University professor and expert on low-income families in China Qin Gao attempts to rectify this deficiency by answering key questions about the program’s efficacy.   Dr. Gao examines how successful the dibao system has been at alleviating poverty, as well as patterns of behavior and the sense of well-being among dibao recipients. Her work not only deepens our understanding of entitlements in China, but also adds the Chinese case as a comparative example to the growing body of literature looking at welfare systems around the world. On May 10, 2017, Dr. Gao joined the National Committee in New York City for a discussion of her book, the development and expansion of the dibao system, as well as its policy implications for China and other countries. The conversation was moderated by Professor Mark Frazier, director of the India China Institute at The New School. Qin Gao is professor of social policy and social work at the Columbia University School of Social Work and director of the newly established China Center for Social Policy at the school. She is a faculty affiliate of the Columbia Population Research Center and Weatherhead East Asian Institute. She is also an academic board member of the China Institute for Income Distribution at Beijing Normal University, and is a Public Intellectuals Program fellow of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Dr. Gao’s research examines poverty, income inequality, and social welfare policies in China and their cross-national comparisons. Dr. Gao also studies gender inequality and social protection for rural-to-urban migrants in China. She has published widely in leading interdisciplinary journals such as The China Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary China, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Social Policy, Review of Income and Wealth, Social Service Review, and World Development. Mark W. Frazier is professor of politics at the New School for Social Research, and academic director of the India China Institute at The New School. His recent research compares China and India in terms of how each has coped with development challenges related to inequality and urbanization, historically and in the present. He is the author of Socialist Insecurity: Pensions and the Politics of Uneven Development in China (Cornell University Press 2010) and The Making of the Chinese Industrial Workplace (Cambridge University Press 2002). He has authored op-ed pieces and essays for The New York Times, Daedalus, The Diplomat, and World Politics Review. Dr. Frazier is also a fellow of the National Committee's Public Intellectuals Program.

Even as the China’s economic reforms in the 1980s and 90s laid the foundation for it to become an economic powerhouse, increasingly wide gaps opened up between rich and poor, leaving behind those ill equipped to compete in a market economy. The massive changes taking place were also reflected in the uneven distribution of social welfare benefits, which tended to accrue to those best positioned to succeed under the new system. In 1993, Shanghai implemented a minimum livelihood guarantee or dibao, an anti-poverty safety net. Since then, the program has expanded throughout China and is centrally regulated. Today, it serves as the country’s primary social insurance program. Even though it is the largest welfare program in the world, there has been little English-language research evaluating the effectiveness of the dibao system. In her new book, Welfare, Work, and Poverty: Social Assistance in China, Columbia University professor and expert on low-income families in China Qin Gao attempts to rectify this deficiency by answering key questions about the program’s efficacy. Dr. Gao examines how successful the dibao system has been at alleviating poverty, as well as patterns of behavior and the sense of well-being among dibao recipients. Her work not only deepens our understanding of entitlements in China, but also adds the Chinese case as a comparative example to the growing body of literature looking at welfare systems around the world. On May 10, 2017, Dr. Gao joined the National Committee in New York City for a discussion of her book, the development and expansion of the dibao system, as well as its policy implications for China and other countries. The conversation is moderated by Professor Mark Frazier, director of the India China Institute at The New School.  Qin Gao is professor of social policy and social work at the Columbia University School of Social Work and director of the newly established China Center for Social Policy at the school. She is a faculty affiliate of the Columbia Population Research Center and Weatherhead East Asian Institute. She is also an academic board member of the China Institute for Income Distribution at Beijing Normal University, and is a Public Intellectuals Program fellow of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Mark W. Frazier is professor of politics at the New School for Social Research, and academic director of the India China Institute at The New School.

Ron Kneebone, Economist in the school of public policy at the University of Calgary

The recession eight years ago is still having an effect on Hamiltonians on social assistance. The number of people on it still hasn't come down to pre-recession levels. Tom Cooper, Director, Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction billkellyshow

In this podcast, Lauren Whitehead explains how the graduation programmes led by BRAC increase productivity and household income while aiming to strengthen livelihoods of those who are often left behind by development policies and do not benefit from non-inclusive economic growth.

This Week: The Sudbury By-Election, Gas Plant Cancellations, Affordable Housing, Social Assistance, Doctor Shortage

Topics Include: Gas Plants Investigation, Pan Am Games, Social Assistance, Government Advertising

This week: Cost of Gas Plant Cancellations, Cancer Treatment, Ontario Budget, Social Assistance

December 1, 2010 topics include Smart Meters, Taxation, Energy Policies, Public Transit, Wind Turbines, Niagara Parks Commission, Social Assistance, Consumer Protection, Multiple Sclerosis Treatment, Education Performance, Growth Planning, G20, Medical Research and Innovation, the Chicken Industry, and Community Health Standards.

November 25, 2010 topics include the Government's Wage Restraint Plan, Energy Policies, Ontario Public Service, Smart Meters, Student Assessment, Pest Control, Poverty, Propane Regulations, Coroner's Inquest, Automobile Insurance, Justice System, Social Assistance, and Tourism.