New spaces for the local welfare state? The case of General Relief in Los Angeles County

The current 'hollowing out' and devolution of the national welfare state produces new spaces for the local welfare state, theoretically allowing more leeway to dismantle, privatize, further devolve, or even experiment with new local bureaucratic structures. At the same time, national devolution places greater burdens on local resources. Over the past twenty years, a series of theoretical frameworks have been proposed to understand local welfare strategies under these concomitant opportunities and pressures, including street-level bureaucracy, shadow and workfare states. Despite the usefulness of these frameworks, they have rarely been applied to the long-term evolution of specific local programmes. A particularly glaring omission is General Assistance (GA), which constitutes a major component of many local welfare states. To address this gap, we examine the past twenty years of General Relief (GR) policies in Los Angeles County. GR is a locally funded mandatory programme that provides aid of last resort for indigent individuals. In the face of exploding demand and rising expenditures, and unable to directly eliminate the programme, the County employed a variety of strategies designed to ration services and depress demand. In the 1980s, these strategies were articulated through low-level and indirect bureaucratic disentitlements, including quality control and spatial consolidation. By the 1990s, the County took a more direct route, cutting benefits in 1993 and imposing time-limits and workfare in 1997. Despite severe constraints, the evolution of GR strategies in Los Angeles County does suggest the emergence of genuinely new regulatory spaces, including a diminution of outlays, counter-balanced by the increasing micro-management of clients and the materialization of a workfare and even shadow state. At present, the local welfare state in Los Angeles County combines the convolution of Franz Kafka with the misery of Charles Dickens. While our review goes some way in redressing the critical lack of local case studies, there remains a need to investigate instances of new local regulatory spaces, to understand in depth the engagement of various strategies, mechanisms and even resistance. Le démantèlement courant de l'Etat-providence à l'échelle nationale cède la place à de nouveaux services sociaux à l'échelle locale, ouvrant en théorie la voie à la privatisation, la réorganisation et l'expérmentation de nouvelles structures bureaucratiques. Toutefois, le démantèlement du système national impute un plus grand fardeau aux ressources locales. Au cours des vingt dernières années, plusieurs cadres théoriques ont été proposés afin de comprendre les stratégies locales de distribution de services sociaux face à ces pressions et opportunités, incluant les concepts de bureaucracie de rue et 'workfare state.' Malgré que ces cadres d'analyse soient utiles, ils ont rarement servi à étudier l'évolution à long terme de programmes locaux spécifiques. Ce manque est particulièrement flagrant en ce qui a trait à l'Assistance Générale ('General Assistance', GA) qui constitue un élément majeur de beaucoup de services sociaux locaux. Afin de corriger cette lacune, nous analysons les vingt dernières années de politiques économiques et sociales reliées au Secours Général ('General Relief', GR) dans le comté de Los Angeles. GR est un programme obligatoire distribuant une aide de dernier recours aux personnes sans resource. Face à une demande et des coûts grandissants et pourtant incapable d'éliminer directement le programme, le comté mit en pratique une série de tactiques dans le but de rationner les services et faire baisser la demande. Dans les années 1980, ces tactiques furent déployées par le biais de droits bureaucratiques, incluant contrôle de la qualité et consolidation spatiale. Dès les années 1990 le comté adopta des moyens plus directs, coupant les allocations en 1993 et imposant des échéances et programmes de support à l'emploi (workfare) en 1997. Malgré ces sévères contraintes, l'évolution des stratégies de secours général dans le comté de Los Angeles indique l'émergence de nouveaux espaces régulatoires - incluant la diminution des dépenses - dont le contrepoids est la présence grandissante de 'micro-gérance' des clients et la matérialisation de l'aide à l'emploi et de l'ombre étatique. Au moment présent, l'Etat-providence local dans le comté de Los Angeles est à mi-chemin entre les circonvolutions de Franz Kafka et la misère de Charles Dickens. Si notre survol cherche à corriger le manque critique d'études locales, le besoin demeure présent d'investiguer les exemples de nouveaux espaces régulatoires afin de comprendre à fond le chevauchement des différentes stratégies, mécanismes et résistances. La 'excavación' y la delegación actuales del estado de bienestar nacional producen nuevos espacios para el estado de bienestar local, lo cual, en teoría, permite el desmontaje, la privatización y más delegación de la burocracia local o hasta la oportunidad de experimentar con nuevas estructuras de burocracia local. Al mismo tiempo, delegación nacional consume limitados recursos existentes en el ámbito local. En los últimos veinte años han sido propuestos una serie de marcos teoréticos para mejor entender las estratégicas de bienestar local implementadas bajo estas oportunidades y presiones concomitantes, incluso la burocracia al nivel de la calle, y los 'workfare states'. A pesar de la utilidad de estos marcos, raras veces han sido aplicados a la evolución a largo plazo de específicas programas locales. Una omisión destacable es General Assistance (Asistencia General), lo cual constituye un componente importante de muchos estados de bienestar locales. Con el fin de cerrar esta brecha, examinamos las políticas de General Relief (GR) (Ayuda General) de los últimos veinte años en Los Angeles County. GR es un programa mandatario, elaborado con fondos locales y que proporciona ayuda en último caso a individuos indigentes. En vista de la aumentando demanda y los gastos incrementados, y sin la autoridad de eliminar el programa de forma directa, el County empleó varias estratégicas con el fin de racionar sus servicios y hacer bajar la demanda. En los años 80, estas estratégicas fueron articuladas por desautorizaciones burocráticas, a bajo nivel e indirectas, y que incluían control de calidad y consolidacio´n espacial. En los años 90, el County tomó una ruta más directa; redujo subsidios en 1993 e impuso límites-temporales y 'workfare' en 1997. A pesar de las severas restricciones, la evolución de las estratégicas de GR en Los Angeles County sugiere la aparición de espacios reguladores verdaderamente nuevos, incluso una disminución de desembolsos, contrapesada con un aumento en el micro-manejo de clientes y la materialización de un 'workfare' o hasta 'shadow state'. Actualmente, el estado de bienestar en Los Angeles County combina la circunvolución de Franz Kafka con la miseria de Charles Dickens. Mientras que nuestra crítica compensa, hasta cierto punto, la carencia tan grave de estudios de casos locales, todavía hace falta una investigación de ejemplos de nuevos espacios reguladores locales, para profundizar nuestro conocimiento del empleo de varias estratégicas, mecanismos y hasta resistencia.     

Who needs a review of the financial system in Australia? the case of the Wallis inquiry

The Howard government reoriented the then existing institutionally based financial regulation towards a functionally based regime with new prudential and disclosure regulators in 1998. This paper uses the governmental agenda-setting framework of John Kingdon to explain this financial regulatory change undertaken in Australia following the Wallis Inquiry of 1996. It also examines the role of the Inquiry in the policy process. It shows that the financial regulatory change was on the bureaucratic agenda of the Treasury Department. A window of opportunity opened for the Treasury following the 1996 election, with the new Howard government keen to achieve financial regulatory reforms to address future regulatory challenges proactively while the new Treasurer Peter Costello wanted to consolidate his power within markets and politics. Costello coupled the Treasury's solutions to problems and to political processes. The Wallis Committee was ‘packed’ by the government in accordance with its regulatory policy preferences. Its role was to legitimise the government's policy preferences publicly, and to transfer the ‘governmental agenda’ into the ‘public agenda’. However, this was not a case of the government pressuring for its policy preferences over the financial services industry. In fact, the Inquiry was used as a venue to generate industry and public support for the regulatory changes, and was used to build a network of alliances within and outside the parliament.     

The marginalisation of nuclear weapons in world politics? The case of flexible response

This paper illuminates some of the nuclear weapons related issues raised by developments in world politics. Three overlapping points emerge. First, US nuclear weapons will probably have a diminishing place in the evolving world order. Second, the details of US nuclear strategy are likely to become even less relevant to American diplomacy than they were during the cold war. Third, the prospects for the nuclear weapons non‐proliferation regime are probably brighter than is often assumed. This prognosis needs to be qualified, however, by an acknowledgment that it is contingent on the continuation of particular trends in international relations.     

The Ciempozuelos Necropolis skull: a case of double trepanation?

The focus of this study is the analysis of a trepanation performed on the skull of an adult male from the famous Bell Beaker necropolis of Ciempozuelos (Madrid) excavated at the end of the 19^th century. The unusual characteristics of the pottery and other associated grave goods gave rise to the use of the name ‘Ciempozuelos’ to define the regional Bell Beaker style; this refers to similar finds from other sites on the Meseta of central Spain. Although trepanations from Chalcolithic contexts in the Iberian peninsula are not infrequent, they are unusual in Bell Beaker inhumations. Furthermore, this skull is exceptional not only for the type of trepanation performed, but also for the subsequent cranial deformation apparently resulting from the operation, as well as evidence of a second subsequent trepanation which indicates a very short post‐surgical survival period for the individual. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From 'neighbourhood watch group' to community?: The case of ASEAN institutions and the pooling of sovereignty

The term 'intergovernmental neighbourhood watch group' reflects best the character of ASEAN as a grouping whose members are only loosely associated, and whose preferences for cooperation are based on the 'ASEAN way' of informality, personalised rather than institutionalised relations, and distrust of definite and legally binding commitments. This paper argues that central ASEAN mechanisms and institutions are moulded in the traditional ASEAN way and are therefore not capable of effectively promoting ASEAN's objectives of deeper economic and political integration. Most recent developments in ASEAN suggest that political disunity and nation-centred navel-gazing continue to restrict rather than enhance ASEAN's capability to pool sovereignty and to engage in institutionalised community-building. This trend reinforces the legacy of an ASEAN identity based on the delimiting rather than integrative principles of the 'ASEAN way' and leaves ASEAN with the problem of how to integrate without actually integrating.     

The end of the territorially-sovereign state? The case of crime control in the United States

Numerous commentators argue that the nation-state is an endangered species. External forces of globalization and internal forces of social differentiation, many suggest, are significantly weakening the state's capacity to regulate its subject population within its jurisdictionally-defined space. Such an argument is often made in the specific case of crime control. The spread of international communications networks and the growth of international policing suggest that single-state crime control efforts will increasingly be insufficient, the growth of private security and community-oriented crime reduction efforts suggest that the state is surrendering crime control to other domestic agencies. This paper examines the specific case of crime control in the United States to argue that the putative weakening of the state is not in fact occurring. When examined more closely, suggested evidence of decreased state power vis-a-vis crime turns out, if anything, to demonstrate the opposite. The analysis demonstrates that, in the American case especially, the state remains startlingly relevant when it comes to efforts to combat crime and maintain order. Because police agencies are bureaucratic institutions that must demonstrate their relevance to ensure their continued health, and because the state's broader legitimacy is linked to the provision of security, the public crime control apparatus promises to remain robust for the indefinite future.     

Relational spaces and the geopolitics of community participation in two Tasmanian local governments: a case for agonistic pluralism?

The 'success' of sustainability is often premised on public participation and consensus among members of diverse communities. An analysis of two experiments in participatory governance in Tasmania underpinned by explicit commitments to sustainability and by tacit investments in deliberative democracy allows detailed reflection on claims about the efficacy of deliberative democracy, and encourages speculation about whether and to what extent an alternative model of agonistic pluralism may better accommodate conflicts in communities wrestling with resource use and distribution.     

The inclusion of sustainable drainage systems in flood management in the post‐industrial city: A case study of Glasgow

The management of urban stormwater and flooding is challenging, particularly within older, post‐industrial urban environments where infrastructure, housing and businesses already operate. The urban environment constrains opportunities for the development and integration of new approaches to drainage management, particularly the use of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). These issues are investigated through a case study of Glasgow. The northeast of the city suffered significant urban flooding in July 2002 following an intense con‐vective summer storm. This event overloaded the urban drainage system, which was heavily integrated and led to the back flow of foul water into streets and homes. This study examines the response to this event and the construction of an integrated drainage management plan for the city, the Glasgow Strategic Drainage Plan (GSDP), which includes greater use of SuDS in tackling the city's capacity problems. Reflecting on the interdisciplinary nature of urban drainage management, this study adopts a social science method, undertaking semi‐structured interviews with key actors involved in producing the GSDP.     

The two opposing impacts of heritage making on local communities: residents’ perceptions: a Portuguese case

This article examines the impact associated with the making of heritage and tourism at a destination. Special attention is paid to the residents’ perceptions of the impact. The examination is focused on the rural village of Sortelha, in Portugal, where, in recent decades, a state-led programme was implemented in order to renovate the historic buildings and built fabric and to generate benefits for the local community. Based on ethnographic materials collected in 2003, 2009 and 2013, the study demonstrates that the making of heritage may give rise to two opposing impacts simultaneously – increased social cohesion and place pride, on the one hand, and envy and competition (and, hence, social atomisation), on the other hand – and that residents are entirely cognisant of the tension between the two. The study has the potential to contribute to both the theoretical and the applied literature on heritage making.     

What's in a perspective? The history of mexicanist anthropology

Hewitt de Alcántara, Cynthia. Anthropological Perspectives on Rural Mexico. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984. xiv + 224 pp. including footnotes and index. $32.95 cloth.     

The Temple as a Symbol of Hindu Identity in America?

For overseas Hindu communities, the temple became an important symbol of ethnic regrouping. From the indentured expatriates of sugar colonies of the colonial era through the recent, highly educated, Asian Indian immigrants to America, the Hindu temple has served as a place of worship and, even more importantly, as a symbol of heightened cultural identity. Although the role of the temple in the Hindu regrouping in the diaspora has been previously examined, this paper reexamines this process in America in light of new data. Preliminary results indicate that the Hindu temple is not only an important religious focus for American Hindus, but also has generated links between Indian and expatriate Hindus in new ways. In fact, vigorous temple building activity among all Hindu diasporic communities could lead to a renaissance in temple building and possibly in Hinduism itself. We examine the Hindu temple as a component of the Hindu regrouping process in the postindustrial American context.     

Preserving which past for whose future? The dilemma of cultural resource management in case studies from Tunisia,Cyprus and Jordan

Abstract

Cultural resource management the world over confronts the perpetual dilemma of deciding which part of the past to preserve for whose future. This dilemma arises from the perpetual tension between the insistent drive to develop for the future and the presumptive need to preserve the past. In the face of constraints imposed by limitations of time, money and personnel, advocates of preservation face difficult choices of which sites to rescue and which to abandon to destruction. There are also other aspects of the dilemma: choosing the criteria on which preservation decisions are to be based; determining who in the end will apply these criteria; and deciding on whose behalf the chosen sites will be preserved and maintained. The dilemma resolves itself into three questions: ‘Which sites?’, ‘What public?’ and ‘Who decides?’. The answers are found, at least provisionally, in an examination of case studies, from Tunisia, Cyprus and Jordan, that typify the dilemma and illustrate the various strategies, successful and otherwise, deployed to confront it.     

The distribution of skeletal lesions in treponemal disease: is the lymphatic system responsible?

The differential diagnosis of bone lesions in treponemal disease is well established in palaeopathology. However, the actual mechanism responsible for the characteristic distribution of bone involvement is not as clear. Two mechanisms are proposed in the literature. Firstly, that bone lesions are the result of direct extension from the skin rash of the secondary stage of disease. Secondly, that bones situated closer to the skin are more vulnerable to local trauma and therefore more likely to elicit a subperiosteal bone response. We propose an alternative explanation for the characteristic distribution of bone lesions in treponemal disease. This explanation is based on the close association between the lymphatic and skeletal systems and the pathogenesis of treponemal disease. This paper argues that the position of the lymphatic nodes and vessels, with little soft tissue intervention between bone tissue, mirrors the characteristic pattern of skeletal involvement in treponemal disease. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The management and memory of fascist monumental art in postwar and contemporary Italy: the case of Luigi Montanarini’s Apotheosis of Fascism

In postwar Germany, the Allies and the German authorities moved quickly and systematically to destroy or physically remove all traces of Nazi art. No such process occurred in postwar Italy. This meant that hundreds of ideologically inspired statues, mosaics, murals and other artefacts survived into the republican period. This article uses Luigi Montanarini’s mural, the Apotheosis of Fascism, as a case study to examine the management, meaning and memory of fascist monumental art (and, more broadly, fascist monumental architecture) in postwar and contemporary Italy. To date, memory studies of fascism have largely overlooked the artistic and architectural legacies of the dictatorship. This article helps to address this historiographical lacuna and speaks to current debates and controversies in Italy surrounding the meaning and significance of historic fascism.     

Can advocacy change the views of politicians about aid? The potential and limits of a presence-based approach

Advocates of foreign aid in OECD countries navigate a unique form of politics. The beneficiaries of foreign aid spending have little voice in elite level decision-making about aid commitments from OECD countries. Thus foreign aid spending has a form of politics unlike other areas of policy where there is more direct budget accountability with citizens. Scholarly attention has increased on this unusual domestic politics of aid spending yet there remains little examination of the opportunities, challenges and tensions for aid organisations in advocating to elected officials. This article focuses on the case of Australian foreign aid, and the Australian Aid and Parliament project, an initiative of Save the Children. This initiative facilitates exposure visits to aid recipient countries for Australian parliamentarians. Most aid advocacy projects in OECD countries rely on mobilising citizens of those countries to act as a proxy, advocating on behalf of aid beneficiaries. This project reveals the potential of advocacy efforts that focus on the direct ‘presence’ of aid beneficiaries in the experience of elected officials (from donor countries). Yet it also reveals several challenges, and tensions between advocates, about how aid commitments change, and the most effective role for advocacy groups to play.     

Governing urban regeneration in the UK: a case of ‘variegated neoliberalism’ in action?

The article focuses on the redevelopment of previously developed land by public-private sector partnerships in three cities/towns in South-West England, two of which can be described as medium-sized places with little previous experience of such developments. In each case we situated the redevelopment process in its wider multi-level and horizontal relationships using Social Network Analysis to produce network and centrality maps to reveal the complex network of relationships the process was embedded within and shaped by. These developments took place in what is termed the ‘roll-out’ phase of neoliberalism and we illustrate how the overarching planning and regulatory regimes (including contracts), along with wider economic conditions, shaped the development process, with the proviso that in each case these factors were mediated and themselves shaped by the assortment and interaction of local organizational, political, economic and civic forces. These included local planning committees and their interpretation of planning regulations and the developers involved, but also opposition to the developments from local sources. Much, however, depended on the ‘capacity to act’ of the relevant partnerships, in the sense of mobilizing and deploying available resources to realize the proposed developments.     

Can Lost Maps Speak? Toward a Cultural History of Map Reading in Medieval China

Despite the fact that virtually no Chinese maps have survived from the first millennium, it is nonetheless possible to reconstruct a rich context associated with their production, use and perception from a variety of written sources. Three cases from the Tang dynasty (618–907 ce) are presented in this article in which the characteristics of the missing maps emerge through their associated texts, which have outlasted them. These examples include two documents that once accompanied maps presented to the emperor and an anecdote that refers to a map of the remote southern frontier. They demonstrate that the maps were designed not only to encapsulate imperial territory but also to serve as guideposts for aspirational travel. They were also perceived by their users as invitations to experiences both desirable and undesirable.