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Toward The Democratization Of The Social Policy Process, L. K. Northwood

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the nature of social policies and the public policymaking process. It is demonstrated that public social policies tend to accrue an aura or ideology of benevolence that is only partially warranted, and that may be quite misleading to policy analysts and citizenry. The major thrust of the paper is to consider the social policy process as a strategy for public decision-making. As such, properly organized, it can provide an alternative and complementary strategy to electoral politics and protest movements. To be effective as a strategy, three major barriers must be overcome: …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 7, No. 1 (January 1980)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Towards the Democratization of the Social Policy Process. - L. K. NORTHWOOD
• Will Carter's Welfare Reform Plan Reform Welfare?: Evidence from Empirical Research - MARY BRYNA SANGER
• The "Guestworker" as Metaphor: In Clarification of Social-Economic Contradictions and Systemic Crisis - STEPHEN I. WOODS
• Toward a Full Employment Policy: An Overview - ALVIN KOGUT, SYLVIA ARON
• Political De-moralization of the Poor: Organizing lower-class Families of the Mentally Retarded - LEONARD FONTANA
• Social Welfare Agencies and Social Reform movements: The Case of the Single Parent Family - MICHAEL J. SMITH, BETH MOSES
• Historic Trends in the Delivery of Services …

Toward A Full Employment Policy: An Overview, Alvin Kogut, Sylvia Aron

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Unlike more advanced welfare states, the U.S. has not committed itself to a full employment policy: the full dimensions of unemployment are not revealed and the "manpower" programs reflect a welfare philosophy. While constraints to such a commitment remain formidable, the developments around Humphrey-Hawkins may be a start.

Social Welfare Agencies And Social Reform Movements: The Case Of The Single Parent Family, Michael J. Smith, Beth Moses

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

To a greater extent than before, social welfare agencies are emphasizing social change over direct services. A social reform movement is a mechanism by which societal and institutional change may be accomplished. The relationship between social welfare organizations and social movements has not been clearly defined. The sociological theories of Smelser, Turner, Killian and others on collective behavior and social movements provide a useful knowledge base for welfare organizations and professionals espousing social reform goals. The single parent family population is discussed as a group with the potential to generate into a social reform movement.

Historic Trends In The Delivery Of Services To Teenage Parents, Nancy Aries

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper will examine the political, social, and economic factors which underlie the transition in services from unwed mothers to teenage parents over the past 15 years. The experience of agencies in the Boston area serves as the basis for this case study. Data have been collected from open-ended interviews with key service providers who have developed and implemented policy related to adolescent parents.

The findings indicate that, prior to 1960, agencies were responding to what was perceived as individual problems or circumstances. Illegitimacy was thought to be an unconscious attempt by white middle class women to fulfill psychological needs. …