Full Description
The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy uses the lens of an innovative policy model and an emphasis on social change to break new ground in social welfare policy texts. Starting from the explicit premise that every kind of social work practice embodies a social policy, the book stresses that policy knowledge enables social workers to help clients as well as to help themselves. Drawing on this awareness, the text then makes the standard social welfare policymaterial come alive by asking two new questions: 1) what factors trigger social change in these social policies?; and 2) how do these factors affect the social policies that influence what social workers actually do? To answer these questions, it develops a five-part policy model, which shows, through fullchapters on each subject, how economics, politics, ideology, social movements, and the history of social welfare define social welfare policy.
Contents
PART I Introducing Social Welfare Policy ; 1 IntroductionProblems, Social Policy, Social Change ; How Are Social Problems Constructed? ; Who Gets to Define a Social Problem? ; Social Policy and Social Work ; Theories of Social Change ; Change and Social Welfare Policy: A Policy Model ; The Triggers of Social Change: An Overview ; Conclusion ; 2 Definition and Functions of Social Welfare Policy: Setting the Stage for Social Change Mimi Abramovitz ; What Is Social Welfare Policy? ; Broadening the Definition of Social Welfare Policy ; Deepening the Definition of Social Welfare Policy ; Competing Functions of Social Welfare Policy ; Overview of Major Social Welfare Programs ; Organizing Principles: Who Benefits from Universal or Selective Provision? ; PART II The Policy Model ; 3 The Economy and Social Welfare ; The Words We Use ; The Structure of the Economy ; Microeconomics ; Measuring the Functioning of the Economy ; The Terms and Tools of Economic Policy ; Social Welfare and the Economy in Historical Context ; Production for Profit versus Production for Need ; The Economy versus Social Welfare? ; Downsizing and Outsourcing ; Trade Unions ; The Minimum Wage ; Enron and the Corporate Scandals ; A New Economic Crisis ; 4 The Politics of Social Welfare Policy ; Political Science Theories: Decision Making, Definitions of Democracy, and Majority Rule ; Definitions of Democracy ; The American System of Government: Federalism ; U.S. Government: Its Distinctive Characteristics ; Divided Government ; The Political Functions of Social Welfare ; The Implications for Social Welfare Policy ; 5 Ideological Perspectives and Conflicts Mimi Abramovitz ; What Is Ideology? ; Social Welfare Ideology and Social Change ; The Ideology of Human Nature ; The General Welfare: Individuals in Society ; The Ideology of the Definition of Need ; The Ideology of the Role of the Government ; The Ideology of Work and the Work Ethic ; The Ideology of Family ; The Ideology of Racial Inequality ; Ideologies of Professionalism ; 6 Social Movements and Social Change Mimi Abramovitz ; Ways of Becoming Active ; Social Movements, Contradictions, and Social Change ; Theories of Social Movements ; From Theory to Practice: Using Ideology When Seeking Social Change ; 7 Social Welfare History in the United States ; The Ambiguities of U.S. Social Welfare History ; What the British Brought ; Social Welfare in the Colonies (1619-1783) ; Independence to the End of the Civil War (1783-1865) ; The End of the Civil War to the Progressive Era (1865-1900) ; The Progressive Era to the New Deal (1900-1932) ; The New Deal to World War II (1933-1945) ; Post-World War II to the Great Society (1946-1968) ; 1969-2008: The Conservative Response ; A New, New Deal? 2009-Present ; The Historical Patterns ; PART III Policy Analyses: Applying the Policy Model ; 8 Income Support: Programs and Policies ; Social Change Triggers ; Social Security ; Disability Insurance ; Supplemental Security Income ; Unemployment Insurance Benefits ; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ; Workers' Compensation ; Earned Income Tax Credit ; General Assistance Programs ; Individual Development Accounts ; The Basic Income Grant ; Economics ; Politics ; Ideology ; Social Movements ; History ; 9 Jobs and Job Training: Programs and Policies ; The Context for Employment Policy ; Classifying Federal Job Programs ; Employment Training Programs: What Do We Know? ; Economics ; The Politics of Employment Programs ; Ideology ; Social Movements ; History ; 10 Housing: Programs and Policies ; The Context for Housing Policy ; Social Change Triggers ; The Housing Bubble ; Housing Programs ; Economics ; Politics ; Ideology ; Social Movements ; History ; Conclusion ; 11 Health Care: Programs and Policies ; Social Change Triggers ; Social Programs ; The Inadequacies of the U.S. Health Care System ; Economics ; Politics ; Ideology ; Social Movements ; History ; 12 Food and Hunger: Programs and Policies ; Definition ; Social Change Triggers ; Food Programs ; Classifying Food Programs: Who, What, to Whom, and at Whose Expense ; Economics ; Politics ; Ideology ; Social Movements ; History ; Conclusion ; PART IV Conclusions ; 13 If You Want to Analyze a Policy... ; Notes ; Figure Credits ; Index
