Each month, we select up to ten publications from those that have recently been entered into the Literature Database.

A year ago, there were approximately 6,445 citations in the Literature Database. As of May 2006, we now have over 7,400 citations.

Click here for a direct link to the Sloan Literature Update articles in the Literature Database.

Global Perspectives - Fonchingong, C.C. (2005). Negotiating livelihoods beyond Beijing: The burden of women food vendors in the informal economy of Limbe, Cameroon. International Social Science Journal, 184, 243-253.
This study considers the role of urban women food vendors in the informal sector in Cameroon and the impact of their livelihood strategies on their living standards and gender relations. Quantitative and qualitative data are drawn from questionnaires and structured interviews with 50 female food vendors from different ethnic groups. The findings show that 42% of the women consider themselves to be heads of households, because they: see themselves as the breadwinners through their business ventures, take major decisions, are responsible for the day-to-day running of the home, and are taking greater responsibility for children’s school fees, medical bills, and other needs. The women face a double burden, because as well as providing household incomes, they encounter a number of constraints, including heavy domestic workloads, lack of capital to expand their businesses, high rent and taxes, and inadequate spousal support. The demands placed on these women vendors have resulted in the continual draw on additional labor from children, especially young girls, which have attendant effects on their education, health, and social upbringing. The author concludes that due to constraints, women vendors’ income-earning roles have not translated into economic empowerment and that in many case, they are barely patching up. The author recommends better regulation of informal sector activities, better skills training, and the sharing of household responsibilities between women vendors and their spouses. Annotated by Uracha Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, Doctoral Researcher, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom.

Greenberg, D., Ashworth, K., Cebulla, A. & Walker, R. (2005). When welfare-to-work programs seem to work well: Explaining why Riverside and Portland shine so brightly. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 59(1), 34-50.
This study uses data from 24 evaluations and meta-analysis to examine the reasons behind the success of welfare-to-work programs in Riverside, California and Portland, Oregon. Findings indicate that differences in caseload characteristics and site characteristics are more important than program design. The authors emphasize that a single welfare-to-work model does not fit all possible circumstances.

McBride, A.M., Sherraden, M.S., & Pritzker, S. (2006). Civic engagement among low-income and low-wealth families: In their words. Family Relations, 55(2), 152-162.
The authors interviewed 84 low-income, low-wealth families to investigate their levels of civic engagement, including volunteer work through religious organizations, acts of care for neighbors, involvement in children’s activities, monetary contribution and political engagement. Findings reveal that people of limited resources may be engaged, but limited personal and community resources prevent them from being more engaged and, often, from participating directly in community work and activities. Study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Global Perspectives -McDowell, L. (2005). Love, money and gender divisions of labour: Some critical reflections on welfare-to-work policies in the UK. Journal of Economic Geography, 5(3), 365-379.
.This essay explores research and policy questions about child care and the expectation that parents will use state-sponsored child care to facilitate their entrance into the workforce. However, research indicates that parents (especially mothers) feel moral and personal obligations to raise their own children and/or share child care duties with other family members. The author explains how this may impede welfare-to-work policies and offers suggestions for new research agendas.

McPhee, D.M. & Bronstein, L.R. (2003). The journey from welfare to work: Learning from women living in poverty. Affilia, 18(1), 34-48.
This study was drawn from two phases of interviews with 39 women of color living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, all of whom were current or former welfare recipients. After analyzing the interviews, the authors found eight predominant themes that reflected the women’s perceptions of their experience: personal humiliation by caseworkers, a disrespectful system, a desire for personal control and independence, parenting as the most important priority, strong self-perception and resourcefulness, politically savvy, unique sense of self, and high personal goals. Implications for social work include the necessity of including participants’ voices in the development of programs and policies, using women’s voices to dispel misconceptions about welfare recipients, providing adequate resources to frontline workers implementing services, and stopping the disproportionate emphasis on work to the exclusion of parenting.

Global Perspectives - Suryahadi, A., Priyambada, A., & Sumarto, S. (2005). Poverty, school and work: Children during the economic crisis in Indonesia. Development and Change, 32(2), 351-373.
This paper examines the relationship between poverty, school and child labor in Indonesia during the Asian economic crisis, which started in mid-1997 and peaked in 1998. During this time, there was fear that as Indonesian households were faced with a substantial fall in income, parents would be forced to withdraw their children from school and send them to work to supplement family income. The study draws on quantitative data from the ‘100 Village Survey’ conducted in August 1998 and October 1999. Data was collected from 12,000 households across 8 Indonesian provinces and focused on rural and relatively poor areas. The paper depicts the profile of child labor (child characteristics, household and household head characteristics) and investigates the determinants of child labor in the Indonesian context. The study finds a strong link between child labor and poverty and that poverty is an important determinant of child labor. The authors analyze the trade-off between school and work for children in relation to the ILO’s stance that child labor perpetuates poverty. Policy implications for the reduction of child labor in rural Indonesia include building more schools in the areas where the poor live and subsidizing school attendance. Annotated by Uracha Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, Doctoral Researcher, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom.

Global Perspectives -Gambles, R., Lewis, S. & Rapoport, R. (2006). The myth of work-life balance: The challenge of our time for men, women and societies. West Sussex, England: John Wiley & Sons.
A pivotal challenge in the global context – Evolutions and developments in seven countries – Thinking about change at multiple levels – The invasiveness of paid work – Care and connections: Families, communities, friendships and care of the self – Reciprocal relationships between men and women: A critical issue – Visions and strategies for change.