Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova took part in the International Conference and International Research Seminar
Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova, the head of MLISI, attended the International Research Seminar on "Global Welfare Research" and the International Conference on "Social Welfare Policies and Services in the Post-Pandemic Era" in Taipei, Taiwan. The events were organized by the Department of Social Work of the National Taiwan University on the initiative of Professor Julia Wong on October 24-26, 2024.
The conference was attended by over 100 researchers from around the world. Scientists from different countries presented their reports on the challenges of social protection, support, and family policy in their respective countries. The presentations examined the challenges and alternatives to minimum household income support schemes in South Korea, India, Iran, and Vietnam; as well as ways to support low-income families in Indonesia and Malaysia. An intriguing shift into eco-social policy was presented by scientists from the University of Berkeley (USA), who focused on the social risks of climate change. Additionally, the analysis of Taiwan's social policies and pensions was the focus of several reports.
The audience was particularly interested in the presentations on long-term care for relatives in Thailand, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. Researchers from the Asian region shared the results of a comparative review of support programs in the post-pandemic period. A presentation on the concept of the "deserving and undeserving poor" in social assistance to families in Canada sparked discussions, as did presentations from Chile, Argentina, and Brazil about the South American context of family policy and support programs for families with children.
The second day of the conference featured reports by Elena IarskaIa-Smirnova and Linda Cook on the comparison of “Pronatalist and family policies in Russia, Poland and Hungary”, as well as presentations by colleagues from Georgia, South Africa, the UAE, Turkey, Iran, Australia, Ghana and Uganda. The plenary report by Yves Marx, author of the book "Zero Poverty", aroused great interest and a lively discussion among the audience. A seminar on the findings and future directions of a comparative research on social support for families took place on the third day. Colleagues further discussed their progress and plans for the future in achieving the goals set. In addition to providing a platform for collaboration among several experts, the conference offered up new avenues for understanding various aspects of families' social well-being around across the world.
