Scientific Collaboration on Gender and Racial Equity in Social Assistance
Combating poverty (SDG 1); achieving gender equality (SDG 5); and reducing inequality (SDG 10) are three highly relevant global goals. The three aims intersect with each other.
Factsheet
- Schools involved Business School
- Institute(s) Institute for New Work
- Funding organisation SNSF
- Duration (planned) 01.07.2024 - 31.08.2024
- Head of project Prof. Dr. Lucia Lanfranconi
- Project staff Prof. Dr. Lucia Lanfranconi
- Keywords Scientific Collaboration, Gender, Racial Equity, Social Assistance
Situation
In Switzerland, for example, every fifth single-parent household, from which around 90% are female – many of them foreigners – are dependent on social assistance (FSO 2022). In the USA, where the public assistance program Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) a so called welfare-to-work (WTW) program, is manly paid to mothers with children in poverty, many studies have pointed out strong gendered and racial patterns in social assistance, especially when it comes to sanction (Chang et al. 2020; Fording, Soss & Schram 2007; Monnat 2010b; Monnat & Bunyan 2008; Lanfranconi et al. 2020a).
Course of action
Both UC Berkeley Professor Chang as well as Professor Lanfranconi combine quantitative and qualitative research methods. While Chang is more experienced in statistical analysis – she did the main part in the common article (Chang et al. 2020) which was based on regression model and cluster analysis, while Prof. Lanfranconi is more advanced in in-depth qualitative studies – she conducted the main part in the common articles (Lanfranconi et al. 2020a; Lanfranconi et al. 2020b), which was based on critical discourse analysis of interviews, observations, and documents. In their past projects, they ideally combined these methods to rich mixed-method papers. In the visit in summer 2024 they will use this complementary strength for the current articles and plan to use them for future projects.
Result
Infront of this background the aim of the here outlined project is to strengthen the scientific collaboration of the two researchers and their institutions on how within decentralized social assistance programs, gender & racial inequalities are reproduced, resp. on how social equity or equality concepts which are embedded in social assistance policy schemes and institutions shape the clients’ lives. Thereby the project aims to contribute to the global goals (SDG 1, 5, 10). These global goals can only be tackled through a reunification of competences and strengthens in in-depth, continued, interdisciplinary and international research projects. The project is an important step to continue the collaboration which is already established throughout many years and with a great potential to last long and create important output with scientific and practical relevance on how to reduce social and gender inequalities and fight poverty.
