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Institutional Ethnography: Studying Institutions From The Margins, Brian J. O'Neill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As new approaches to the development of knowledge emerge in the social sciences, there is a need to judge their appropriateness for use in social work research. Using criteria for assessing the goodness of fit between theories and social work values, this article evaluates institutional ethnography, a strategyfor studying institutions which is based on feminist standpoint theory. The author holds that the use of institutional ethnography in social work research is congruent with social work principles and effective in producing knowledge which can inform practice. Discussion of a study of Canadian social work education from the standpoint of gay men …

Review Of Issues In International Social Work. Washington, Dc: Nasw Press, 1997. M. C. Hokenstad And James Midgley (Eds.). Reviewed By Nazneen Mayadas, University Of Texas, Arlington., Nazneen Mayadas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of M. C. Hokenstad and James Midgley (Eds.), Issues in International Social Work. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 1997. $26.95 papercover.

Human Rights And Social Policy In The 21st Century. Joseph Wronka

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Joseph Wronka, Human Rights and Social Policy in the 21st Century. Langham, MD: University Press of America, 1998 (revised edition). $ 52.00 hardcover, $ 25.00 papercover.

Review Of Integrating Knowledge And Practice: The Case Of Social Work And Social Science. Westport, Ct: Praegar Publishers, 1997. David J. Tucker, Charles Garvin And Rosemary Sari (Eds.). Reviewed By Bart Grossman, University Of California, Berkeley., Bart Grossman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David J. Tucker, Charles Garvin and Rosemary Sarri (Eds.), Integrating Knowledge and practice: The Case of Social Work and Social Science. Westport, CT: Praegar Publishers, 1997. $65.00 hardcover

Organizational Position: Influences On Perceived Organizational Properties, Moshe Sherer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

People perceive and interpret their work place in different ways that may be related to their hierarchical position in the organization. Workers' attitudes toward their organization can exert a negative effect on their own and other people's feelings and behavior, and have detrimental consequences for the achievements of the organization. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptionso f organizationalc haracteristicsm aintainedb y three levels of human service organization employees: Managers, supervisors or instructors, and line workers. Respondents in the present sample (n = 135) indicated their perceptions about seven organizational properties. Results reveal that the higher the …

Review Of Social Work Practice: A Critical Thinkers Guide. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Eileen Gambrill. Reviewed By Bruce Thyer, University Of Georgia., Bruce Thyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Eileen Gambrill, Social Work Practice: A Critical Thinker's Guide. New York: Oxford University Press, 1957. $ 59.95 hardcover.

Emotional And Embodied Knowledge: Implications For Critical Practice, Colin Peile

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Within the practice orientation of the Critical Social Work tradition there has been a dominance of conceptual and rational processes. This has lead to afailure to acknowledge the importance of bodily and emotive knowledge for practice theory. This paper offers a rudimentary and tentative epistemology which recognizes the importance of the body, emotions, ideas and their context. These ideas invite a reconsideration of critical theories of change.

The Definition Of Fatherhood: In The Words Of Never-Married African American Custodial Mothers And The Noncustodial Fathers Of Their Children, Jennifer F. Hamer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This qualitative study explores the meaning of fatherhood from the perspective of never-married parents. Specifically, the study describes: how African American custodial mothers perceive the roles and responsibilities of their children's fathers; the extent to which these mothers' perceptions and definitions of noncustodial fatherhood are consistent with those of noncustodial fathers and the dominant cultural "ideal"; and what mothers do to enhance men's paternal participation. A convenience sample of 25 never-married,f ormer couples was drawn from the predominantlyA frican American population of a mid-sized Midwestern city. Data was collected via in-depth interviews with each individual respondent. The findings suggest that …

Social Support's Contribution To Reduced Welfare Dependency: Program Outcomes Of Long Term Welfare Recipients, Frank A. Sansone

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Long term welfare recipients participated in a state job training and welfare reform demonstration which provided education,job training, and supportive services via intensive case management. Social support research has focused on stress and physical and psychological health outcomes not welfarejob training and education outcomes. Job training and welfare to work policies and programs have not emphasized providing social supports but the supportive services of transportation and child care. Program outcomes at follow-up included: education and job training certificates, including GEDs with some still studying; jobs; and a 50% reduction in welfare receipt. Results of hierarchical regression analysis suggest a participant's …

A Few Contributions Of Economic Theory To Social Welfare Policy Analysis, Michael A. Lewis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The National Association of Social Workers' (NAS W) code of ethics states that social workers have a professional obligation to advocate for social policies that promote the general welfare (NASW, 1996). Presumably, in an effort to provide social workers with the analytical tools that would allow them to do so, schools of social work typically require students to do course work in the area of social welfare policy. Although these courses provide students with valuable information, it is my view that they tend to be limited in one important respect. They usually do not contain a great deal of content …

A Qualitative Cum Quantitative Approach To Construct Definition In A Minority Population: Reasons For Divorce Among Israeli Arab Women, Rivka Savaya, Orna Cohenn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The paper describes the combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a preliminary definition of the construct, the reasons for divorce among Israeli Arab women. The qualitative methods consisted of personal in terviews and a focus group, the quantitative method of Trochim's concept mapping. The combined approach was adopted in the wake of skepticism about the ability of research instruments developed in the West to study Western populations to provide valid and reliable assessments of non-Western groups. A culturally sensitive definition of the construct was sought as a first step in the design of a culturally sensitive research …

Review Of Person-Environment Practice. Hawthorne, Ny: Aldine De Gruyter, 1997. Susan P. Kemp, James K. Whitaker And Elizabeth M. Tracy. Reviewed By Catherine Lemieux, Louisiana State University., Catherine Lemieux

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Susan P. Kemp, James K. Whittaker and Elizabeth Tracy, Person- Environment Practice. Hawthorne, NY, 1997. $ 49.95 hardcover, $ 23.95 papercover.

Review Of Confidentiality And Privacy In Social Work: A Guide To The Law For Practitioners And Students. New York: The Free Press, 1998. Donald T. Dickinson. Reviewed By Margaret Severson, University Of Kansas., Margaret Severson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Donald T. Dickson, Confidentiality and Privacy in Social Work: A Guide to the Law for Practitioners and Students. New York: The Free Press, 1998. $ 34.95 hardcover.

Enterprise And The Welfare State. Martin Rein And Eskil Wadensjo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Martin Rein and Eskil Wadensjo, Enterprise and the Welfare State. Williston, VT: Edward Elgar Publishing, 1997. $ 95.00 hardcover.

Creating A National Home: Building The Veteran's Welfare State, 1986-1900. Patrick J. Kelly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Patrick J. Kelly, Creating a National Home: Building the Veteran's Welfare State. 1860-1900. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997. $ 37.50 hardcover.

Welfare In America: How Social Science Fails The Poor. William Epstein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for William Epstein, Welfare in America: How Social Science Fails the Poor. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997. $ 45.00 hardcover, $ 19.95 papercover.

Pregnancy Counselors' Perceptions Of Disrupted Infant Adoptions, Michelle E. F Mayo

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory study explores birth parents who changed their minds and removed their child from the adoptive home; what factors seemed influential in that decision; and what pregnancy counselors think could have prevented the disruption.

Eight pregnancy counselors participated in a semi-structured interview. The initial findings indicated that: (1) infant disruptions comprised a very small number of infant adoptive placements; (2) pregnancy counselors perceived that nothing could have been done to prevent the disruption, except mandatory foster care; and (3) the reasons that birth parents reverse their adoption decision are often complex and unforeseen.

Additional studies utilizing birth parents and …

Discourse Analysis And Activist Social Work: Investigating Practice Processes, Karen Healy, Joan Mulholland

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although discourse analysis methods have been used for the critical analysis of activist practice theories, the application of these methods to practice processes has remained a largely unchartered territory. A chief aim of this paper is to demonstrate the possibilities discourse analysis offers for the investigation of activist practice processes. The paper introduces a discourse model which combines poststructural discourse principles and conversation analysis methods. The model is then applied to the study of the effects of activist perspectives for service users and workers within a context of activist practice in which one of the authors has been involved as …

Proactive Rhetoric, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The American welfare state is coming apart. In The Rhetoric of Reaction, Albert 0. Hirschman explained how conservatives had used three themes to counter liberal expansion of social and economic rights: perversity, futility, and jeopardy. This essay expands Hirschman's formulation retrospectively by identifying the liberal antecedents---adequacy, equality, and regulation-that prompted the recent conservative assault on the American welfare state. Further, the author presents three themes to thwart the conservative critique of welfare-mobility, empowerment, and restructuring. As illustrative of "proactive rhetoric", these themes are proposed to guide future social policy in the United States.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 25, No. 3 (September 1998)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DISCOURSE ANALYSIS AND ACTIVIST SOCIAL WORK: INVESTIGATING PRACTICE PROCESSES - Karen Healy and Joan Mulholland
• PROACTIVE RHETORIC - David Stoesz
• UNDERSTANDING THE DEBATE OVER THE PRIVATIZATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY - Eric R. Kingson and John B. Williamson
• THE RUSH TO MEASURE PERFORMANCE - Lawrence L. Martin
• "SAFE PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO:" POLITICAL TEXTS FROM URBAN YOUTH OF COLOR - Amory Starr
• KNOWLEDGE UTILIZATION IN SOCIAL WORK AND LEGAL PRACTICE - Karen M. Staller and Stuart A. Kirk
• COMMUNITIES IN CONFLICT: RESOLVING DIFFERENCES THROUGH COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND HUMAN SERVICE DELIVERY - Thom …

The Rush To Measure Performance, Lawrence L. Martin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the concept of performance measurement and identifies several major performance measurement initiatives that have implications for the human services. Each of these initiatives is briefly discussed and their similarities and differences noted. The article points out that little coordination appears to be taking place between these initiatives which raises the specter of human service agencies having to contend with multiple potentially incompatible performance measurement systems. The implications of performance measurement for human services agencies is then discussed. The article closes by suggesting that agency administrators, advocacy groups, clients and others concerned about the human services need to …

"Safe Places To Go And Things To Do": Political Texts From Urban Youth Of Color, Amory Starr

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper is the first to examine the political texts of urban youth of color. It presents their assessments of what kinds of policies and programs would improve their lives.

Knowledge Utilization In Social Work And Legal Practice, Karen M. Staller, Stuart A. Kirk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The gap between knowledge generated by systematic inquiry and its eventual use by practitioners has been a concern in social work for several decades. Explanations for the gap have been identified as the orientation or attitudes of practitioners, the character of professional education, and the nature of scientific inquiry. The structural character of both practice itself and its knowledge base have been overlooked as an explanation. By comparing legal and social work practice, we suggest that characteristics of social work practice and knowledge also impede research utilization.

For Crying Out Loud: Women's Poverty In The United States. Diane Burton And Ann Withorn (Eds.). Reviewed By Tracy Maybrey, Western Michigan University., Tracy Maybrey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Diane Burton and Ann Withorn (Eds.), For Crying Out Loud: Women's Poverty in the United States. Boston, MA: Southend Press, 1997. $ 22.00 papercover.

Review Of Ethnicity, Crime And Immigration: Comparative And Cross National Perspectives. Michael Tonry (Ed.). Reviewed By Jewelle Taylor-Biggs, University Of California At Berkeley., Jewelle Taylor-Biggs

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Michael Tonry (Ed.), Ethnicity, Crime and Immigration: Comparative and Cross-National Perspectives. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1997. $56.00 hardcover, $22.50 papercover.

Welfare Capitalism In Taiwan: State, Economy And Social Policy. Yuen-Wen Ku.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Yuen-wen Ku, Welfare Capitalism in Taiwan: State, Economy and Social Policy. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. $69.95 hardcover.

Review Of Immigrants Out: The New Nativism And The Anti-Immigrant Impulse In The United States. Juan E Perea. Reviewed By Robert L. Boyd, Mississippi State University., Robert L. Boyd

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Juan E Perea, Immigrants Out: The New Nativism and the Anti-Immigrant Impulse in the United States. New York: New York University Press, 1997. $ 19.95 papercover.

Against The Odds: Social Class And Social Justice In Industrial Societies. Gordon Marshall, Adam Swift And Stephen Roberts.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Gordon Marshall, Adam Swift and Stephen Roberts, Against the Odds: Social Class and Social Justice in Industrial Societies. New York: Clarendon Press, 1997. $29.95 hardcover.

Understanding The Debate Over The Privatization Of Social Security, Eric R. Kingson, John B. Williamson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Serious consideration is being given to the merits of privatizing Social Security. Debate over privatization and the future of Social Security gives expression to two differing value systems: the community-enhancing values of the program's defenders versus libertarian values of its critics. This article examines the implications of the debate. Areas of agreement among advocates and opponents of privatization are discussed. Special attention is paid to conflicting views about privatization and to the distributive implications of proposals to address the program's projected financing problem. In shifting much risk from government onto individuals, privatization would undermine basic Social Security protections. And it …

Communities In Conflict: Resolving Differences Through Collaborative Efforts In Environmental Planning And Human Service Delivery, Thom Reilly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Increasingly, public administrators and managers in the fields of human service and environmental planning have been exploring new avenues to resolve complex and seemingly intractable public problems. Confronting such controversial issues as land management plans, common-pool resources, endangered species, welfare reform, health care and immigration are requiring new and more innovative ways of doing business-ways in which problem-solving and leadership is a shared pursuit of governmental agencies and concerned citizens.

Since collaborative efforts in these arenas have recently reemerged as one avenue to resolve complex policy disputes, it is premature to give an accurate assessment of their long term viability. …