Understanding Social Welfare: A Search for Social Justice » (8th Edition)

With its focus on political economy and the search for social justice, this engaging and accessible text helps readers better understand our social welfare system.

The new edition reflects the most recent changes in the social welfare system, our national society, and our world, including the impact of the Bush administration's policies on social welfare, the proposals of the Democratic and Republican candidates, and the latest trends, data, and discussions.

1 Socioeconomic Structure, Human Needs, and Mutual Responsibility 

Overview  

The Impact of Social and Economic Structures  

Defining Social Welfare and Social Work  

The American Myth of the Hero  

Balancing Individual and Societal Responsibilities 

Human Rights, Social Justice, Social Work, and Social Welfare 

Beliefs about Social Justice  

The Social Minimum: The Standard for Social Justice  

The NASW Standard: Equal Access and Rights  

Toward the Social Minimum  

Views of Social Welfare  

The Authors’ Perspective 

Summary 

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

2 Social Values and Social Welfare  

Overview  

Modern Views of Humanity  

Self-Actualization versus Irritation Response Theories 

Economics and Human Motivation  

An Overview of History 

Altruism and Mutual Aid  

Ancient Cultures  

Egypt  

Hebrew and Judaic Societies  

Greece and Rome  

Early Christianity 

Holy Poverty and Expectations of the Wealthy 

Eastern Cultures 

China  

India  

Islam 

Summary: Evolving Values and Social Welfare  

Questions for Consideration  

Notes  

3 Social Values and Social Welfare: England from the Middle Ages Onward  

Overview  

The Early Middle Ages 

The Middle Middle Ages  

The Late Middle Ages to Elizabethan Poor Laws  

Work and Religion  

The Poor Laws  

The Poor Law Compilation of 1601  

Speenhamland  

The Workhouse  

The Poor Law of 1834  

Principles of the Poor Laws  

Summary 

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

4 Social Values and Social Welfare: The American Experience I  

Overview  

American Poor Law Mentality  

Settlements, Labor, and Imported “Poor Laws”  

The Early Spanish Influence, the Mexicans, and Other Hispanics  

Voluntary Mutual Aid Efforts  

Mutual Aid among African Americans 

Voluntary and Public Responsibilities  

The American Frontier: The Myth and Values

Mutual Aid among Immigrant Groups

Rugged Individualism and/or Cooperation

American Indians and U.S. History  

The Federal Role in Social Welfare  

The Freedmen’s Bureau  

Veterans and a Suspension of the Ethic 

Social Darwinism  

The Coming of Social Insurance  

Society, Social Values, and Modern Views of Human Nature 

Summary 

Questions for Consideration  

Notes

5 America, Poverty, Two Paths: The American Experience II  

Overview  

Three Discoveries of Poverty 

First Discovery 

The Fading of the First Discovery  

Second Discovery  

Third Discovery  

The War on Poverty  

Eight Outcomes  

The “Skirmish” against Poverty  

Families, Children, and Poverty 

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (“Welfare”) 

An Old-New Path  

Social Security 

Contrasting Values and Aims 

The Paths Forward  

Human Nature and the American Dream  

Summary  

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

6 Concepts for Social Welfare 

Overview  

What Is Social Welfare?  

Social Policy, Social Services, and Social Work 

Social Policy  

Social Services 

Social Work

Ideology, Social Policy, and Government Intervention  

Five Routes to Social Policy 

The Federal and Pluralist System  

The Economic Sphere  

Fiscal Policy  

Monetary Policy 

The Importance of Fiscal and Monetary Policy 

A Tarnished Business Sector?  

A Second Welfare System–Corporate and Individual Welfare  

Globalization and Social Justice

The Bush Administration

Summary  

Questions for Consideration 

Notes 

7 Examining a Social Welfare Program within the Context of Social Justice: Structural Components, Alternative Program Characteristics, and Evaluation  

Overview 

Structural Components 

What Are the Needs and Goals to Be Met?  

What Is the Form of Benefit That the Program Produces?  

Who Is Eligible for the Program?  

How Is the Program Financed?  

What Is the Level of Administration? 

Alternative Program Characteristics  

Residual, Institutional, Developmental, or Socioeconomic Asset Development   

Selective or Universal  

Benefits in Money, Services, or Utilities  

Public or Private 

Central or Local  

Lay or Professional 

Evaluating the Program  

Adequacy  

Financing  

Coherence  

Latent Consequences  

Testing for Social Justice  

Whose Social Justice?  

Views and Proponents  

The Social Work Practice Sphere and Social Justice  

Reader’s Choice

Summary  

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

8 The Welfare Society and Its Clients

Overview  

Who Is a Client of Social Welfare?  

What Is Poverty?  

Understanding Poverty

Absolute Poverty  

Relative Comparison Poverty  

A Description of the Poor  

Income and Wealth Inequality  

Counter-intuitive Statistics

Intergenerational Mobility

The Effect of Some Government Programs  

The Near-Poor and Expectations  

Other Views of Poverty  

Relative Inequality  

Lack of Power, Access, and Inclusion  

The Underclass/Culture of Poverty Thesis 

Strategies for Fighting Poverty 

Social Utilities  

Investment in Human Capital  

Income Transfers  

Rehabilitation 

Aggregative and Selective Economic Measures 

Participation and Organization 

Ideology Revisited 

The Second Bush Administration 

Tax Cuts  

Faith-Based Initative  

Social Security  

Medicare  

No Child Left Behind  

The 2009 Budget  

Starve the Beast  

Ideology Once Again  

Summary 

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

9 Current Social Welfare Programs–Economic Security 

Overview  

Social Insurance Programs  

Social Security (OASDI)  

Unemployment Compensation 

Temporary Disability Insurance 

Workers’ Compensation  

Income Support Programs  

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families  

Supplemental Security Income  

General Assistance  

Earned Income Tax Credit  

Socioeconomic Asset Development 

Summary 

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

10 Social Welfare Programs: Sustaining the Quality of Life 

Overview  

Managed Care: A Radical Change

Major Organizational Types  

Impact on Services and Practitioners  

Proponents  

Strategies to Achieve Profits  

Public Criticism, Courts, and Legislation 

Health Care Programs 

Medicare  

Medicaid 

Nutrition Programs  

The Food Stamp Program  

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children  

School Lunch and Breakfast Programs  

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance  

Housing  

Veterans’ Benefits  

Employment Programs  

Personal Social Services

Title XX  

Defense Department Social and Mental Health Services  

Services to Families  

Services to Children 

Mental Health Services  

Corrections  

Summary 

Questions for Consideration 

Notes 

11 Nonprofit and Private Social Welfare  

Overview  

Early Patterns  

The Nonprofit Sector

Types of Nonprofit Agencies

The Proprietary Private For-Profit Organization  

Services of the Nonprofit and Private Sectors  

Getting and Spending 

Private and Nonprofit Agencies as Social Welfare Programs  

A Point of View  

Leadership, Class, and Gender  

Private and Public Spheres 

Uses of Public Funds and Power  

Tax Laws and Policy  

Programmatic Links  

Accountability  

National Policy: Church and State 

Marketplace and the Nonmarket Domain  

Family and Friends  

Toward the Future  

Summary  

Questions for Consideration 

Notes 

12 Social Work: The Emergence of a Profession 

Overview  

The Workers of “Good Works”  

The Process of Professionalization  

A Brief History of Practice and Methods  

Development of the Professional Association  

Social Work with Groups  

Community Organization and Social Planning  

Toward a Unified Profession  

Summary  

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

13 Social Work: Functions, Context, and Issues

Overview  

The Purposes of Social Work  

The Professional within Complex Organizations 

Complex Organizations and Professional Culture  

Complex Organizations and Authority  

The Profession and Professional Autonomy  

Alternative Roles and Settings  

Society, the Functions of Social Work, and Services for People 

The “Bottom Line”  

The Two Tracks of Social Work: Cause and Function 

Generic-Specific Social Work  

Professionals and Volunteers 

The Number of Social Workers  

Issues Confronting the Profession: Multi-cultural Society, Technologies, Managed Care, Leadership, Sufficient and Qualified Social Workers and Resources, and Accountability.  

Summary  

Questions for Consideration  

Notes

14 Social Trends Affecting Social Welfare  

Overview  

National Society  

Individual and Shared Goals 

The International Economy  

Population Growth and Resources  

The United States: A Changing Population 

A Selected Social Welfare Agenda and Social Justice

Productivity and the Service Economy  

Ethnicity and Pluralism  

Gender  

Gay Men and Lesbians  

The Place of Social Welfare in a Changing Context  

Summary  

Questions for Consideration  

Notes 

15 Toward the General Welfare and Social Justice  

Overview 

Healthy Children and Social Justice

Globalization, Privatization, Socially Just Services, and the Future of Social Welfare

Challenges Facing Social Welfare  

TheState of the Welfare State  
The Roles of Social Work 

A Second Welfare System: Corporate and Taxpayer Welfare and Social Justice  
Social Justice and the “Baby Boom” Generation: The Choices Before Us

Alternatives Facing the Practitioner 

Technology and Social Action 

Where We Are

Coda: Two Views of the Future  

Summary  

Questions for Consideration  

Notes  

Appendix: Sources of Information

A Timeline of Significant Social Welfare Events 

Index