Suchergebnisse

Is measuring poverty an exercise in the art of the possible? Could we have a poverty line which captures both the absolute and relative elements of poverty in one measure? This paper argues for the use of a poverty line for measuring poverty in newly industrialized East Asian societies that is expenditure-based. We present a number of arguments for the expenditure poverty measure, an alternative to the prevalent and popular measures - absolute and relative poverty. Special reference is made to the social and economic context in East Asia. The case example of Hong Kong is used to demonstrate that the expenditure-based poverty line is a more reliable and sensitive measure. More importantly, this research offers a tool which determines a strategy for social expenditures in terms of poverty alleviation that is in line with a society's social and economic context. (Issues Stud/DÜI)

The statutory minimum wage (SMW) law was enforced in Hong Kong on 1 May 2011. To examine its impact, this longitudinal study measured the quality of life, job and pay satisfaction, monthly income, hourly rate and working hours of vulnerable groups (n = 253) before and after the legislation. The findings confirmed that the enforcement of the SMW induced a positive impact as intended. The introduction of the SMW induced a positive wage and employment effect on the vulnerable groups in Hong Kong without harming their employment rate. Job and pay satisfaction, as well as most domains of the quality of life (i.e., physical and psychological health, and environment), increased significantly. In general, the positive impact of the SMW was more prominent for employees who previously worked less than 18 hours a week and who had hourly rates less than 28 HKD. The implications of the findings are discussed in the social context of Hong Kong.Key Practitioner Message: ● Enforcing minimum wage induced a positive impact on quality of life, job and pay satisfaction, and a monthly income of vulnerable groups. ● The social relations (quality of life) decreased after implementing minimum wage for workers working longer than 18 hours a week. ● Longer working hours is a key factor for the increase of a monthly income among the vulnerable groups.

AbstractThe new Bintulu water supply was built in the early 1980s to serve a major development of the town of Bintulu in Sarawak, East Malaysia, arising from the extraction of natural gas from the South China Sea. The water supply was designed to supply 78 Ml/d. The works comprise earth dams forming a pumped storage reservoir, a river intake, pumping stations, pipelines, a water‐treatment works, treated water storage and a distribution system. The treatment works and distribution system are being built in two phases. The first phase was completed in 1983, and the second phase is to be constructed in 1990–91.The paper describes the initial planning of the scheme, including water‐demand forecasts, the design and construction of the Phase I works, and problems encountered during its operation. It also highlights the exceptionally rapid implementation programme and stability problems at the main earth dam.

AbstractHong Kong is a typical example of a world city that faces escalating poverty and housing problems. Problems related to housing are crucial in determining deprivation. By means of hierarchical linear regression on a representative survey of Hong Kong residents in 2014, this study examines the impacts of household income and housing factors on the deprivation of residents in Hong Kong. The study indicates that income level has a crucial effect on the deprivation level of households; whereas housing cost per capita, living area per capita, and living quarter problems significantly influence deprivation. A small interacting effect exists between household income and housing factors, which do not influence the independent effects of living area per capita and living quarter problems on deprivation. For the public rental housing residents, only the effect of living quarter problem on deprivation is significant, whereas for private rental housing residents, living area per capita and living quarter problem have a significant effect. Among all the models, housing expense per capita is a significant factor only in model for overcrowded households. The study recommends that improving the maintenance and renovation schemes for public and private housing with poor living environment is a good strategy to improve housing conditions and deprivation. The study suggests that anti‐poverty policies must consider strategies and measures that can improve the housing factors, including housing expenses, living density and living quarter maintenance problems, especially for those residents with high living density, such as those living in bed spaces, cubicles, and subdivided flats.

Is measuring poverty an exercise in the art of the possible? Could we have a poverty line which captures both the absolute & relative elements of poverty in one measure? This paper argues for the use of a poverty line for measuring poverty in newly industrialized East Asian societies that is expenditure-based. We present a number of arguments for the expenditure poverty measure, an alternative to the prevalent & popular measures -- absolute & relative poverty. Special reference is made to the social & economic context in East Asia. The case example of Hong Kong is used to demonstrate that the expenditure-based poverty line is a more reliable & sensitive measure. More importantly, this research offers a tool that determines a strategy for social expenditures in terms of poverty alleviation that is in line with a society's social & economic context. 3 Tables, 24 References. Adapted from the source document.

Summary Recent research on disaster survivors has increasingly emphasized the concept of resilience. Little is known, however, about the relationship between community resilience and mental health and about the moderating effects of personal and community resilience on the relationship between disaster impact and mental health among disaster survivors. Based on a cross-sectional survey of the survivors of the 2013 Yaan earthquake (N = 495) conducted in June 2014, this research examined the relationship between community economic resilience and mental health and the moderating effects of personal and community economic resilience on the relationship between disaster impact and mental health among disaster survivors. Findings Regression analysis indicated that community economic resilience (β = −.19, p < .001) is significantly associated with depression. The relationship between earthquake impact on income and depression is moderated by community economic resilience (β = .12, p < .01) but not by personal resilience. Applications To buffer depression among disaster survivors, social workers and other mental health professionals may help enhance their personal resilience though encouraging them to develop positive attitudes toward adversities and improve community economic resilience through promoting a more effective disaster management system.

This article explores the challenges of social workers' involvement in recovery work of the 5.12WenchuanEarthquake (12May 2008). Six social workers working in three social work stations inSichuan,China, were asked to report the challenges they faced in working with disaster survivors. Findings reveal that the social workers faced many challenges. These include lack of government support, low professional status of social work, rapid changes in the social environment in disaster‐affected areas, lack of supervision, lack of cooperation and coordination among social service agencies, and lack of experience and knowledge in working with disaster survivors. The practical, educational and policy implications of the findings are addressed.