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benéfico-asistencial

13:27 Oct 30, 2001
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Spanish term or phrase: benéfico-asistencial
I'm at a dead loss as to what distinction is being made here; for me all social services are beneficent and provide assistance. Can someone explain?

"Mecanismos clientelares en la distribución pública del bienestar.
Red de actores

Desde los años setenta hasta la primera mitad de la década de los ochenta, la idea de que los servicios sociales tenían que ser universales, de carácter público y ámbito local, fue ampliamente compartida por la cultura de la izquierda política y por los profesionales; tales supuestos iban en detrimento –aunque convivían— con criterios de corte **benéfico-asistencial** defendidos por el "aparato franquista" y corrientes conservadoras. La necesidad de poner a punto los servicios sociales comunitarios, haría obligatorio el entendimiento con las CC.AA. tras el frustrado intento (1983-84) de crear una ley nacional de servicios sociales. En la consulta a expertos internacionales que se hizo en 1984 con el objeto de preparar el borrador de la ley, ya se indicaba la conveniencia de ampliar los servicios sociales. Así mismo, el 29º congreso del PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) en 1984, también ponía de manifiesto una mayor sensibilidad para su ampliación, sin embargo, al mismo tiempo que se ampliaba e institucionalizaba una red básica de servicios sociales de responsabilidad pública, los trabajadores sociales fueron abandonando las concepciones conflictivistas y autoorganizativas del trabajo comunitario, y se debilitó la pretensión de instituir un sistema mayoritariamente público de servicios sociales así como la de garantizar unos derechos subjetivos mínimos. La década de los noventa se ha caracterizado por el ascenso ideológico de las tesis neoliberales que ha tenido lugar en las sociedades avanzadas, y que en este sector de la política social se ha concretado en la contención del gasto y en la renuncia a la provisión directa de servicios; con lo que la **beneficencia,** la iniciativa social-comunitaria y especialmente la mercantil, han visto reforzada su posición (Sarasa, 2000).
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Los servicios sociales no han logrado un lugar respetable en el conjunto del sistema de protección social. A pesar de la expansión y modernización que han experimentado, las expectativas universalistas y de servicio público no se han cumplido; pero la ineficacia en la consecución de los objetivos que se proclaman se debe más a la posición periférica y subordinada que ocupa este sector en el conjunto de la protección social que al propio funcionamiento del sistema. Siguen ocupando una posición tradicionalmente peyorativa, identificada con lo **asistencial y benéfico,** con el mundo de los pobres y con los grupos de riesgo."
Jon Zuber (X)


Summary of answers provided
4 +1charitable and assistance organisations
Francis Icaza
4charity-good works
MJ Barber
4The title "Charitable/Aid organizations" was found at
Parrot
4charity and beneficence
Nikki Graham
2benevolent aid
Archipelago (X)


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
charity-good works


Explanation:
I don't think you should understand benéfico here as beneficient, but rather as charity.

I think 'charity-good works' would reflect the pejorative bias of the wording

MJ Barber
Spain
Local time: 19:13
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 895
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
charitable and assistance organisations


Explanation:
You are right to be at a dead loss. The lines between these two types of organisations are blurred at best.

Benéficas are charitable organisations, they have fund raisers with the community of means to carry on charitable programmes and have some programmes of their own.

Assistenciales are organisations that set up and manage programmes to well, assist the residents of a community in times disaster or to fend for themselves, develop new skills, provide child care and the like. They often receive monies from the benéficos as well as the government for their work.

It all depends,

Regards,
F.
Ref. experience

Francis Icaza
United States
Local time: 13:13
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 176

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gabriela Tenenbaum (X): excelent explanation! #:)
13 mins
  -> how charitable of you to say so! Thanks
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
The title "Charitable/Aid organizations" was found at


Explanation:
the website below, but another good one was "charitable" paired with "endowment" to characterize said organizational types. I've posted a historical explanation in another answer (conflictivista) which relates to this. Franco liked giving handouts, the Church advocated charity, and it was a way of keeping the "rojos" from recruiting too many adherents.


    Reference: http://purplehat.homestead.com/Activate.html
Parrot
Spain
Local time: 19:13
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 7645
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
benevolent aid


Explanation:
"Benevolent aid/assistance" -- fits into a paradigm with such terms as "benevolent society" (i.e. a kind of charitable welfare organization) and "mutual aid" (as opposed to one-way benevolent aid).

Archipelago (X)
Local time: 02:43
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 14
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
charity and beneficence


Explanation:
This is in the 1st ref given, also public charities + beneficence, social assistance and public charities. It's a translation, but it does give an explanation of the welfare state in Spain, which you may find useful.

The Constitution marked the definitive transformation of a system based on the principles of Charity to public welfare systems of an autonomous territorial nature in which the protection of children has gradually become a specialised social service, to be provided obligatorily by the competent services of the Public Administrations.
(from 2nd ref)



    Reference: http://www.iesam.csic.es/doctrab2/dt-0105.htm
    Reference: http://eurochild.gla.ac.uk/Documents/CoE/Reports/ChildFriend...
Nikki Graham
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:13
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 5596
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