The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 544 pages
• Published by: Oxford University Press, USA
• Edition: 2nd Edition February 8, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0195311701
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195311709
• Book Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 2.2 pounds

Product Review

"A very readable and comprehensive book that brings a refreshingly new approach to the field by stressing the ever-changing nature of social welfare policy and the need for students to understand the way social policy is shaped by history, ideology, economics, politics, and social movements. This great book offers important and challenging insights and deserves to be widely read."-James Midgley, Harry & Riva Specht Professor of Public Social Services and Dean, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley
"I really appreciate this text because it facilitates understanding of the many factors that often complicate social policy in real life experiences. It gives students the tools for questioning and challenging our social welfare practices and approaches as we encounter changing social conditions. Students love it because they are able to recognize key aspects of the policy framework in their personal stories and in the fabric of every day life."--CarolAnn Daniel, Ph.D, Brooklyn College
"A lucid and thoughtful presentation of the dynamic aspects of social welfare policy for students of social work and related human servicesunique and proactive."-Paula Allen-Meares, The Norma Radin Collegiate Professor of Social Work and Professor of Education, and Dean, School of Social Work, University of Michigan
"This text brings to life the texture and pulse of decisions and processes that help determine who will eat steadily, find quality shelter, stay employed, afford transportation, secure child care, and enjoy a livable income. It will serve graduate and undergraduate students for years to come."-Barbara Levy Simon, Associate Professor of Social Work, Columbia University
"A welcome departure from most social policy texts that prepares students to analyze social issues and to construct strategies for changing crucial social welfare policiesa novel and effective approach."-Josefina Figueira-McDonough, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Justice Studies and Social Work, Arizona State University
"Blau and Abramovitz have given us the great gift of their many combined years of professional experience and advocacy for the poor. You don't have to be a social work student to profit from their clarity and insights; I, for one, will be referring to this book for years to come."-Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
"An accessible, readable, and stimulating approach to social welfare policy that will inform, challenge, and motivate both undergraduate and graduate students. New and exciting, this well-researched and organized text will help students master the intricacies of social welfare policy and became policy-sensitive practitioners."--Irwin Nesoff, DSW, Associate Professor and Assistant Chairperson, Social Work Department (BSW), Kean University
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The first edition of The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy reinvented the standard social welfare policy text to speak to students in a vital new way. This second edition builds on its strengths, with a more accessible graphic design and a thorough update of the effects of recent political and legislative changes on social welfare programs.
The book begins by discussing how social problems are constructed. After an analysis of social welfare policy, its purposes, and functions, a unique policy model bolsters the text's overarching progressive narrative. Through this model, students learn how five key social forces-ideology, politics, history, economics, and social movements-interact both to create and to change the social welfare system. By applying this model to five critical social welfare policy issues-income security, employment, housing, health, and food-the text demonstrates to students that every kind of social work practice embodies a social welfare policy. The model is also telling in identifying the triggers of social change and the effects of race, class, and gender.
By applying the policy model to the latest developments in social welfare, the chapter-long case studies in this second edition equip students with knowledge about social welfare policy and the tools for comparative analysis. With this knowledge, students begin to understand that both the whole and the parts of the social welfare system affect what they actually do as social workers. Once they grasp this concept, they'll understand why it is so important to learn social welfare policy.
The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy 2E captures the fluidity and change inherent in social policy like no other textbook. Its approach remains the most invigorating, forward-thinking one available. Highlights from this edition include:
* Revised data in text, charts, and graphs show how government policies are proving the points made throughout the chapters
*Exhaustive statistics are included about every major social program's budget, benefits, and participants
*Underlying policy model has been updated in response to the evolving political environment
*Content and writing style are appropriate to both bachelor's- and master's-level programs
*More graphics and attractive new two-color interior design make debates easier to grasp and the book easier to navigate
Visit www.oup.com/us/dynamics for access to the instructor's manual and test bank.

Reader Reviews
This book is for a Masters program in Social Work. The class is Social Welfare. This book gives a good historical overview of social welfare policy in the United States. Good reference material for anyone interested in social welfare policy.