Social Work Commons^™

The Role Of Managers Within The Welfare System: How Race And Negative Stereotypes About Clients Affect Managers' Tolerance Of Caseworker Discretion, Alethia Marie Picciola

LSU Master's Theses

Previous research studies found differences in social welfare policy implementation based on the racial and ethnical differences of clients, workers, and managers. The public perception of welfare recipients being content with living on government money and unmotivated to become self-sufficient is a central theme throughout American culture. The current study examined whether parish-level managers’ personal beliefs about their clients are associated with their tolerance of frontline staff’s discretionary practices. Additionally, the author examined the role that the race of managers plays in the personal beliefs they hold about their clients as well as their tolerance of frontline discretion. This study …