Understanding Social Welfare

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