The Problem Of Child Poverty Is Much Bigger Than It Seems.The

The problem of child poverty is much bigger than it seems. The impact increases over time because these children have their own children who are likely to get stuck in a cycle of poverty and dependency. Poverty affects many aspects of a child’s life including their self-esteem, education, happiness, and their general mindset on the rest of their life. Reading on this issue opens doors to the real-life problems that America faces and attempts to fix. Poverty is linked to many negative outcomes for children. Research shows that over 20% of children under the age of 18 are ofï ¬ cially â€Å"poor†. This means they live in households with incomes below the federal poverty line. Also, another 20% of children are â€Å"near poor†. These statistics are†¦show more content†¦This is important to know because it isn’t a major focus in child poverty but it happens to be the most fragile and important for a kid to grow up successful. â€Å"Low-income stu dents are four and a half times more likely to drop out of high school, and even those who are academically proficient are far less likely to complete college. The gap in SAT scores between wealthy and poor students has grown by 42% in the last two decades. And financial stability has become less attainable even for college graduates, with only one-third of adults under 35 forming independent households.†, says Eric Jenson, a man who wrote the book Teach poverty in mind. In this book, it helps you understand that education is the key to escaping poverty, as poverty remains the biggest obstacle to education. Even though students of poverty have a harder time learning materials they aren’t broken or illiterate they just need a bit more attention a regular student a once a teacher can create that bond with the student they can help that child defeat that obstacle in education. Elder was one of the first researchers to link parents economic hardship to children s psychiat ric problems. In one study, Elder retrospectively studied 167 California children born in 1920-1921 who lived in Oakland during the depression years of the 1930s. Using the data archive of the Oakland Growth Study, Elder found a positive association between economic hardship and neglectful

Gender Identity Gender And Masculinity - 1285 Words

What is gender? Most people feel as though gender consists only of the terms â€Å"boyâ€Å" â€Å"girlâ€Å" , but it’s so much more than that. Gender is a very complex reality that is not just about what genetalia you have. In this paper I will explore all the subcategories and misconceptions of gender. The range of characteristics pertaining to and differentiating between masculinity and femininity is the definition of gender. We usually associate gender with genetalia and in our society, we like to stuff everyone into these strict â€Å"gender boxesâ€Å", where everything that has for some reason been deemed feminine is only for girls, and everything deemed masculine is only for boys. Cisgender is when you identify with one of these gender boxes, but a lot of†¦show more content†¦This could not be farther from the truth. People who are transgender aren’t trying to trick anyone, but instead, trying to become who they feel they are supposed to be. â€Å"Transitioning† is the term used when someone Transgender decides to change their physical appearance and identify with pronouns used for the gender they identify with. First they are given what are called â€Å"puberty blockersâ€Å" which simply stop them from going through the wrong puberty at around the age of twelve for girls and thirteen or fourteen for boys. Physical appearance is then changed with hormone therapy. MTF’s or male to female’s would take estrogen to feminize their body. FTM’s or female to males would take testosterone to masculinize their body. Not all people realize they are transgender at a young age, but no matter what age, they can transition using hormone therapy. It is very important to use the correct pronouns for them. It gives a sense of reassurance acceptance. They want you to see them as the gender in which they identify. â€Å"Genderqueerâ€Å" or â€Å"non gender conformingâ€Å" are the terms used for people who do not identify as either male or female. They are also sometimes labeled as â€Å"Bigender† or â€Å"Pangender.† These are the people who do not even closely fit into the gender boxes. Many genderqueer people see gender and sex as separable aspects of a person and sometimes identify as a male woman, a female man, or they may combine genderqueer

Agenda 21 in South Africa free essay sample

The Agenda 21 areas that enjoy attention in South Africa include trade, financing, technology, industry, transport and sustainable tourism, with an additional area that focuses on changing consumption patterns. Trade The Departments of Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry, together with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) authorities, coordinate any Agenda 21 strategies relating to trade in South Africa. Some of the key points that either have been addressed (in the last decade), or are still being addressed, include the introduction of management practice standards (relating to pollution and waste management), the introduction of ISO 14001 and ISO 9000 series of international standards (which pertain not only to environmental management standards, but also to the monitoring and compliance thereof), and the introduction of new health and safety codes that will bring along with them a form of accountability. Apart from encouraging and promoting economic growth in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, the impact on the environment is monitored and means to reduce these impacts are introduced where possible. The major challenges faced by this sector in implementing sound Agenda 21 strategies include labour disputes (surrounding job security, job creation and pay increases as decided by trade unions, employees and employers), the role of NGOs, particularly in rural communities, the HIV/Aids factor, global economic trends, corruption and fraud, and the relative lack of skilled labour in the country, to mention a few. Finance The South African Department of Finance is the authority in this regard, and since the national budget is controlled by this ministry, available funds for all other Agenda 21 strategies originate here. Over the last decade, under the leadership of Trevor Manuel, but more recently under the leadership of Pravin Gordhan (2009 onwards), the trend in taxation has been towards favouring the lower-wage earner and the establishment and development of social grants. Despite the apparent decrease in tax revenue, tax collection has improved year-on-year (until 2009, when the global economic downturn affected the South African economy), so more funds have been available for development projects and programmes. House building, job creation, primary health-care facilities and extended sanitation services are just some of the very important areas in which Government funds development and other project that improve the quality of life for millions of citizens. The main challenge facing this aspect of Agenda 21s principles is the current (2009) economic situation: Because the end of the crisis cannot be accurately predicted, it may take a few years before tax collection is back at its levels of 2005 and 2006. While the economy slows down, jobs are lost, development slows down and investment shrinks. Hence, the available capital in taxes is severely impacted. Technology With the focus being on the transfer of environmentally sound technology, the South African Bureau of Standards contributed to the development of the ISO 14000 series of standards. In the late 1990s, the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) was also introduced as the body responsible for the accreditation of certification entities and controlling the awarding of environmental certificates. In addition, the countrys Intellectual Property Rights legislation which complies with the World Trade Organisations Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement, was also finalised in the late 1990s. The Technology Transfer Act, together with the Department of Trade and Industrys Technology Transfer Centre both in place or operational by 2000, ensure that the best, available and affordable clean technologies are preferred and utilised in all technology transfer transactions. Initially, the implementation of clean technologies was focused on the fish-processing industry, the dairy industry, the wood, metal and furniture industries and the textile industry, but since the early 2000s, pilot projects have been rolled out in other industrial sectors, and larger focus areas have been identified. These include water and waste technology, housing technology and biotechnology. Industry Because the Department of Trade and Industry assumes authority over the trade, technology and industrial sectors, the Agenda 21 policies that were formulated for the technology sector apply equally to the industrial sector (since they are so closely related). However, a number of challenges within the industrial sector must be overcome before policy implementation can be rolled out in this sector. Firstly, pollution via point-source or diffuse sources that result in impacts on environmental and human health must be adequately addressed. Secondly, the overuse of water resources must be curbed, and thirdly, habitat destruction due to urban development must be addressed. Transport The Department of Transport (in the late 1990s) formulated an Environmental Policy for Transport that advocated the use of environmental impact management tools in this sector. Cleaner technologies, too, received much attention in the document in the form of cleaner fuels and the technologies that support them. Transportation and land-use planning were earmarked as a strategic partnership that would be beneficial to both sectors, while enjoying a symbiotic relationship. Sustainable tourism The Department of Tourism (previously known as the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism), along with the Directorate of Tourism Development Planning and Provincial Liaison, are responsible for implementing sustainable tourism strategies nationwide. Eco-tourism is, of course, one of the primary focus areas, followed by the implementation of environmental management systems in hotels and other tourism-related establishments. However, by 2004 there were no national strategies to inform the development of such projects, although white papers had outlines ideal suggestions for the technical, environmental, social and financial aspects of sustainable tourism. Changing consumption patterns A wide range of governmental departments work together to formulate strategies for future consumption pattern changes. Water, forests, agricultural resources, pollution, energy and occupational health and safety aspects are just some of the areas that enjoy attention under this banner, since consumption of resources and products affects all of these to certain degrees. However, no national strategy or policy has been formulated to guide the implementation of nationwide strategies in this sphere.

Understanding Public Policy. Social Impact of Policy.

Policy analysis plays an important role for developing and implementing every initiative of the government. Its strategies can be more successful if they are based on the findings of social scientists, psychologists, or medical researchers. Overall, policy analysis is supposed to show what kind of actions will help to achieve a particular goal or solve a certain problem (Fox, Bayat, Ferreira, 2007, p. 96).Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Understanding Public Policy. Social Impact of Policy. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Various stages of this analysis are essential for the development of a public policy. In particular, this process involves the following steps or stages: 1) identification of a specific problem and data collection; 2) the evaluation of different options, especially their social, economic, or environmental impacts; 3) choosing the alternative that will yield the best results at a minimal c ost (Fox, Bayat, Ferreira, 2007, p. 96). Provided that the mistake is made at one of these stages, the policies of the government will be more likely to fail. Policy analysis is also important during the implementation of any public policy. This set of methods can help the government determine whether their initiatives bring actually improvements. Policy analysis can assist public administrators in identifying the drawbacks of their initiatives, especially those cases when these initiatives can backfire. Yet, this analysis can be accurate if it is based on evidence-based findings. For instance, healthcare policies can be more effective when they take into account the most recent statistical data about diseases or mortality (Lavis et al, 2004, p. 1616). This is why policy analysis is vital for public administrators. These methods can help the government take informed decisions that rely on high quality data, rather than rules of thumb. One of the issues that policy-makers should con sider is the social impact of polices. Every initiative implemented by the government can affect a variety of people in a very unpredictable way. The first task is to determine how many people can be influenced by the policy and in what way. For instance, policy-makers may need to estimate how many people will benefit from increased investment into community hospitals. Public administrators will have to focus on the demographic characteristics of these people such as age, sex or income level. Secondly, they will need to make sure that these policies will not adversely affect any social groups. Scholars point out that it is important to understand the so-called â€Å"transmission channels† through which a policy can impact society (Vanclay Esteves 2012, p. 313). For instance, the removal of trade barriers with a certain country can effect local employments, or the prices and accessibility of goods (Vanclay Esteves 2012, p. 313).Advertising Looking for coursework on poli tical sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The goal of the government is to identify these channels. This task can be very difficult because social impacts are not easy to estimate. In most cases, they depend on a particular situation. Public administrators should take into account that social impacts of policies can be unpredictable. Their plans should be based on closed analysis of previous policies and their impacts. In this way, they can safeguard themselves against various pitfalls, especially threats to people’s wellbeing. This is the main precaution that they will have to take. Overall, these examples show that policies of the government can be successful when public administrators understand the impact of their initiatives on various stakeholders. The necessity to implement policies can limit the power of the government in different ways. First of all, the government requires financial resources in order to infl uence the life of the society. However, when this institution has to invest capital into several policies, its power begins to decrease. Secondly, one has to speak about human resources. The power of the government is dependent on the availability of skilled. When the government has to implement policies, public administrators will have to dedicate part of their efforts to this initiative. In some cases, the effort of these employees is insufficient. This is one of the reasons why public administrators have to attract non-governmental organizations. As a rule, the support of these organizations is essential for the government. Finally, any public policy requires a certain amount of time in order to perform its duties. Very often policies can last for years, and the government will have to monitor their implementation. Usually, these activities are very time-consuming. So, these limitations can be explained by such things as financial resources, personnel, and time. This is one of th e ways in which policies can affect the power of the government. Additionally, policies themselves can be aimed at restricting the power of the state. For instance, this institution can be made more accountable for its actions, expenses, plans, or risk management strategies. Policies can make government less bureaucratic and more oriented toward the needs of people. Governmental officials will have to legitimize the use of power and identify the benefits that they bring to the community. This is perhaps the most important limitation that policies have. On the whole, they play a positive role, because they make the state more responsible.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Understanding Public Policy. Social Impact of Policy. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Fox, W., Bayat, S. Ferreira, N. (2007). A Guide to Managing Public Policy. New York: Juta and Company Ltd. Lavis, J., Posada, F., Haines, A ., Osei, E. (2004). Use of research to inform public policymaking. The Lancet , 364 (1), 1615-1621. Vanclay, F. Esteves, A. (2012). New Directions in Social Impact Assessment:  Conceptual and Methodological Advances. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing. This coursework on Understanding Public Policy. Social Impact of Policy. was written and submitted by user Gemma Pacheco to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.