ScholarWorks > HHS > Social Work > JSSW > Vol. 46 > Iss. 2 (2019)
Keywords
General assistance, welfare reform, social construction, policy design, Great Recession
Abstract
This paper addresses a gap in welfare reform literature by investigating the social constructions of poor people in state policymaking within the context of diminishing General Assistance (GA) after the Great Recession. Using Social Construction and Policy Design Theoryand thematic content analysis of Washington State’s legislative archives, I found that the negative constructions of GA recipients as deviants with undesired psychological and behavioral problems were associated with the reform direction toward a regulated, punitive model. These constructions, intersecting with the ideologies of personal responsibility and work ethic, contribute to the dismantling of the social safety net for the Washington’s poorest residents.
Recommended Citation
Chang, Yu-Ling
(2019)
"Social Construction, Knowledge Utilization, and the Politics of Poverty: A Case Study of Washington State’s General Assistance Reform,"
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 46:
Iss.
2, Article 13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.4155
Available at:
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol46/iss2/13
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Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Policy Commons, Social Welfare Commons, Social Work Commons