Preserving the Safety Net the Effort Seen in Virtual Space

• In Event: 377 - Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 01. Policy Research Table

Abstract

This paper focuses on efforts to preserve social programs considered part of the “safety net.” While these efforts have been ongoing, we present evidence of their heightened urgency after significant changes in welfare policy occurred during the Clinton administration with the passage of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act (TANF). Our timeline across issues shows that the efforts represented in these email messages often began with a concern about the impact of TANF on low-income families, especially those headed by women.

We analyze emails that the third author began receiving in the late 1990s through the present. We examine 4,258 email messages that tell a story of an ongoing effort to maintain important elements of the safety net on the part of various advocacy groups and nonprofits that in the end began making space for the voices of those impacted. These email messages show the consistency of their efforts over time related to various safety net programs, as well as provide an opportunity to analyze the frames adopted by these groups.

While our data amounts to a convenience sample of specific organizations, we believe they offer valuable insight to the means and passion advocates will go to provide voices on specific issues. In this study specifically, we witness the intricate “web” of social networking designed to maintain some level of safety net for populations vulnerable and exposed to various political agendas.

Authors

• Teresa M. Reinders, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

• Samantha Church

• Anne Statham, University of Southern Indiana