Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Not In My Social World: A Cultural Analysis Of Media Representations, Contested Spaces, And Sympathy For The Homeless, James A. Forte

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social constructionist approach offers conceptual tools that may augment social workers' persuasive powers and problem solving capacities. In this case study, I examine a newspaper campaign to cast the homeless in negative terms and justify the closing of a shelter. Findings are presented as seven themes used by competing claims-makers. Each constructs a different depiction of the homeless, of homelessness, and of preferred solutions. Linkages between community memberships and favored problem definitions are identified. I conclude with suggestions for how "intelligent social reconstruction" might help social workers function as sympathy brokers for the vulnerable. (Key words: homelessness, NIMBY, mass …

Evaluating Welfare Reform In An Era Of Transition. Robert A. Moffitt And Michele Ver Ploeg (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Robert A. Moffitt and Michele Ver Ploeg (Eds.), Evaluating Welfare Reform in an Era of Transition. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001. $42.95 hardcover.

Review Of Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, And People Of Color. Jewelle Taylor Gibbs And Teiahsha Bankhead. Reviewed By Devon Brooks., Devon Brooks

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jewelle Taylor Gibbs and Teiahsha Bankhead, Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, and People of Color. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001.

Exploratory Research In Public Social Service Agencies: As Assessment Of Dissemination And Utilization, Teresa Dal Santo, Sheryl Goldberg, Pamela Choice, Michael J. Austin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this study was to investigate how nine exploratory research studies were disseminated and utilized by social services agencies in four California counties. It is based on in-depth interviews with sixteen key social service agency staff members in four counties who were involved in the planning and implementation of the research projects. While reports were disseminated internally to agency management staff, the results revealed that fewer were shared with supervisory and line staff. All of the studies influenced agency thinking and, in some cases, specific agency decisionmaking processes. The key factors influencing the utilization of research included: (a) …

Health Services Social Workers' Activities With People With Disabilities: Predicters Of Community Practice, Richard L. Beaulaurier

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which hospital based social workers were actively involved in community practice on behalf of disabled people. The study attempted to identify what variables influence social workers in health settings to engage in community practice. A sample of 286 social workers employed in 57 different hospital and rehabilitation settings participated in a survey that focused on advocacy and related topics. A questionnaire explored participants' perspectives and the levels and kinds of practice activities they engaged in relation to the needs of people with disabilities. Most respondents indicated that community practice …

From Social Work To Human Services, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work has forfeited its professional mandate and should be replaced by "human services." In three traditional areas of responsibility-child welfare, public welfare, and mental health-social work has failed to meet its societal obligation. Meanwhile the profession has used postmodern thought to justify a focus on internal constituency groups. A template for professional education in human services is proposed.

Different Types Of Welfare States? A Methodological Deconstruction Of Comparative Research, Rebecca A. Van Voorhis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research on modern welfare states has been strongly influenced by the theory that they develop according to patterns, which form distinct regimes liberal, corporatist, and social democratic. These regimes are characterized by several key variables, among which the decommodification of labor is heavily weighted. This article examines the operational assumptions, measures, and calculations used in the most widely cited empirical study around which distinct regime theory has developed over the last decade. The findings reveal critical methodological weaknesses in the conceptualization and quantification of decommodification measures, which form the empirical cornerstone of distinct regime theory.

The Principles Of Social Policy. Robert E Drake, And Welfare Theory: An Introduction. Tony Fitzpatrick.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Robert E Drake, The Principles of Social Policy. New York: Palgrave, 2001. $65.00 hardcover, $19.95 papercover. Tony Fitzpatrick, Welfare Theory: An Introduction. New York: Palgrave, $69.95 hardcover, $19.95 papercover.

Review Of Love's Revolution: Interracial Marriage. Maria P. Root. Reviewed By Dianne Rush Woods., Dianne Rush Woods

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Maria P. Root, Love's Revolution: Interracial Marriage. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2001. $69.50 hardcover, $22.95 papercover.

"For Their Own Good?": Sex Work, Social Control And Social Workers, A Historical Perspective, Stéphanie Wahab

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article provides an overview of the social responses to prostitution since the mid 1800s and how the responses of social workers have been shaped by shifting social contexts. Understanding the complex interplay of these forces is key to mapping out the divergent social work practice approaches with sex workers and their influence over time. The article presents three main constructs which have influenced social work responses to sex work; 1) the notion that women needed to be protected for their own good, 2) competing class values and, 3) social control.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 29, No. 4 (December 2002)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DIFFERENT TYPES OF WELFARE STATES? A METHODOLOGICAL DECONSTRUCTION OF
• COMPARATIVE RESEARCH - Rebecca A. Van Voorhis
• FROM SOCIAL WORK TO HUMAN SERVICES - David Stoesz
• "FOR THEIR OWN GOOD?": SEX WORK, SOCIAL CONTROL, AND SOCIAL WORKERS, A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE - Sephanie Wahab
• EXPLORATORY RESEARCH IN PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES: AS ASSESSMENT OF DISSEMINATION AND UTILIZATION - Teresa Dal Santo, Sheryl Goldberg, Pamela Choice, and Michael J. Austin
• HEALTH SERVICES SOCIAL WORKERS' ACTIVITIES WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: PREDICTERS OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE - Richard L. Beaulaurier
• OPEN FOR BUSINESS: EXPLORING THE LIFE STAGES OF TWO CANADIAN STREET YOUTH SHELTERS …

Open For Business: Exploring The Life Stages Of Two Canadian Street Youth Shelters, Jeff Karabanow

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Youth shelters have emerged as significant resources for homeless and runaway adolescents. Through participant observations of shelter culture, review of agency archival materials, and in-depth interviews with 21 shelter workers (front line staff, middle managers, and upper-level executives), this analysis explores the life stages of two Canadian street youth shelters, highlighting the dramatic transformations in their internal operations and external environments. This paper also offers an understanding of organizational evolutionary processes.

Assets And Neighboring: An Exploration Into Household Assets And Efforts To Be A Good Neighbor, Tim Reutebuch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A non-random, cross-sectional sampling procedure was utilized in this study to explore the relationship between the level of household assets and their corresponding level of neighboring. Surveys from 111 households were collected from September 1997, to April 1999, in seven Ohio counties to elucidate the relationship between the level of assets in working poor households and selected household demographic variables, and their propensity to provide various forms of community assistance over the previous month from the time of survey. Findings revealed that households 1) with more than one adult and 2) with lower levels of monthly earned income were more …

Review Of Balancing Family-Centered Services And Child Well-Being: Exploring Issues In Policy, Practice, Theory, And Research. Elaine Walton, Patricia Sandau-Beckler And Marc Mannes (Eds.). Reviewed By Sherrill J. Clark., Sherrill J. Clark

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Elaine Walton, Patricia Sandau-Beckler and Marc Mannes (Eds.), Balancing Family-Centered Services and Child Well-Being: Exploring Issues in Policy, Practice, Theory, and Research. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. $49.50 hardcover, $29.50 papercover

Review Of Children, Family And The State: Decision-Making And Child Participation. Nigel Thomas. Reviewed By Eileen Munro., Eileen Munro

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Nigel Thomas, Children, Family and the State: Decision-making and Child Participation. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001. $65 hardcover.

Review Of Hiv, Aids, And The Law. Donald T. Dickson. Reviewed By Ronald J. Mancoske., Ronald J. Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Donald T. Dickson, HIV, AIDS, and the Law. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 2001. $49.95 hardcover, $24.95 papercover

Review Of Consumption And Social Welfare: Living Standards And Their Distribution In The United States. Daniel T. Slesnick. Reviewed By Sondra G. Beverly., Sondra G. Beverly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Daniel T. Slesnick, Consumption and Social Welfare: Living Standards and Their Distribution in the United States. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. $54.95 hardcover.

The Road Not Taken: A History Of Radical Social Work In The United States. Michael Reisch And Janice Andrews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Michael Reisch and Janice Andrews, The Road not Taken: A History of Radical Social Work in the United States. New York: Brunner- Routledge, 2001. $59.95 hardcover.

Welfare Reform: Failures And Remedies. Alvin L. Schorr

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Alvin L. Schorr, Welfare Reform: Failures and Remedies. Westport, CT: Praegar Publishers, 2001, $59.95 hardcover.

The New Poverty Studies: The Ethnography Of Power, Politics And Impoverished People In The United States. Judith Goode And Jeff Maskovsky (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Judith Goode and Jeff Maskovsky (Eds.), The New Poverty Studies: The Ethnography of Power, Politics and Impoverished People in the United States. New York: New York University Press, 2001. $55.00 hardcover, $19.50 papercover.

From Henry Street To Contracted Services: Financing The Settlement House, Robert Fisher, Michael Fabricant

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article tracks historically the direct connection and shifting relationship between the larger political economy, the extent and arrangement of financing, and agency programming in the settlement house from 1886 to the present, with particular attention to agency experience in New York City. During this time the settlements changed from being informal organizations oriented to service provision and community building, in which funding was a highly private matter, to formalized, multiservice agencies dependent on contracted public funds for categorical programs. This transformation resulted not as a linear progression of organizational development but rather as an historical process tied to shifting …

Domestic Violence Law Reforms: Reactions From The Trenches, Carol Bohmer, Jennifer Brandt, Denise Bronson, Helen Hartnett

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In recent years, feminists have worked hard to pressure society and the criminal justice system into taking domestic violence seriously. These efforts have resulted in more government funding and increased services to victims. In addition, there have also been legal and policy reforms which have affected the way cases are handled in the criminal justice system. This article reports on research on the reactions to those reforms by those most directly affected by them, the victims themselves and those who provide services to them.

Recruitment And Foster Family Service, Mary Ellen Cox, Cheryl Buehler, John G. Orme

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using data from the National Survey of Current and Former Foster Parents this study examined how foster parents first found out about the need for foster parents (mass media, other foster parents, religious organization, or civic organization) affected foster family service (number of children fostered, years of fostering service, fostering of children with special needs, and families' intent to continue fostering). Respondents who became aware of the need for foster parents through religious organizations fosteredfor more years; respondents who became aware through mass media fostered for fewer years. How foster families first found out about the need for foster parents …

Family Diversity: Continuity And Change In The Contemporary Family. Pauline Irit Erera.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Pauline Irit Erera, Family Diversity: Continuity and Change in the Contemporary Family. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, 2001. $64.95 hardcover, $29.95 papercover. [January 15, 20021.

Heterosexual Males: A Group Forgotten By The Profession Of Social Work, Jordan I. Kosberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work literature has mainly focused upon females and gay males. A search was undertaken of general references to heterosexual males in published social-work authored articles and appearing in book reviews and publishers' ads in two prominent social work journals during the last decade. The conclusion reached was that heterosexual males are seldom discussed and when they are discussed they are portrayed in a very biased manner. It is believed that social workers do not receive necessary preparation for understanding and working with heterosexual males, especially from minority and immigrant groups, who are facing emotional, physical, interpersonal, and family problems. …

Differential Test Performance In The American Educational System: The Impact Of Race And Gender, Stephen J. Finch, Harvey A. Farberman, Jordan Neus, Richard E. Adams, Deirdre Price-Baker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contrary to Herrnstein and Murray (1994) who claim that racial groups have different cognitive endowments and that these best explain differential test score achievements, our regression analyses document that there is less improvement in test scores per year of education for African-Americans and women. That is, the observed group test score differences do not appear to be due to racial cognitive differences but rather to other factors associated with group-linked experiences in the educational system. We found that 666 of the subjects in the Herrnstein-Murray database had actual IQ scores derived from school records. Using these as independent controls for …

Review Of Counseling Female Offenders And Victims: A Strengths-Restorative Approach. Katherine Van Wormer. Reviewed By Elizabeth C. Pomeroy., Elizabeth C. Pomeroy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Maluccio, A.N. & Daly, J. (2000). Family group conferencing as "good" child welfare practice. In Gail Buford & Joe Hudson (Eds.), Family Group Conferencing: New Directions in Community- Centered Child and Family Practice (pp. 66-71). New York: Aldine DeGruyter.

"I Raised My Kids On The Bus": Transit Shift Workers' Coping Strategies For Parenting, Blanche Grosswald

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The study investigated coping strategies for parenting of transit shift workers, an urban, blue-collar, primarily ethnic minority population. It involved a qualitative, grounded theory approach, using individual interviews with 30 San Francisco bus drivers.

The principal aspect of the job impacting transit workers' relationships with their children was the lack of time they had together. Drivers had to be creative to find ways to care for their children. They could not rely exclusively on formal child care because hours at childcare centers did not match their job schedules. Coping strategies for care included taking children on the bus, working shifts …

Exchange, Action, And Social Structure: Elements Of Economic Sociology. Zafirovski, Milan.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Zafirovski, Milan. 2001. Exchange, Action, and Social Structure: Elements of Economic Sociology. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. Hardcover, $68.00.

Productive Aging: Concepts And Challenges. Nancy Morrow- Howell, James Hinterlong And Michael Sherraden (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Nancy Morrow-Howell, James Hinterlong and Michael Sherraden (Eds.), Productive Aging: Concepts and Challenges. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. $48 hardcover.