Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Review Of Black Wealth. White Wealth. Melvin L. Oliver And Thomas M. Shapiro. Reviewed By Lolita Perkins, Louisiana State University., Lolita Perkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Melvin L. Oliver and Thomas M. Shapiro, Black Wealth/White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality. New York: Routledge, 1995 $22.95 Hardcover.

Occupational Aspiration Among African-Americans: A Case For Affirmative Action, Ronald E. Hall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The recent attack upon Affirmative Action in the workplace demands that merit be the sole criterion of employment. Policies designed to eliminate discriminatory practices are in themselves discriminatory and suggest minorities are inferior. Such suggestions are archaic and simplistic. Each assumes that the workplace operates in a social vacuum when in fact a complex system of cultural norms precedes the influence of merit. For African-Americans color is a predcedent of merit. The present study was undertaken to determine the implications of color in the workplace by analyzing it vis a vis occupational aspiration. Using a sample of African- American college …

Services Provided By A Homeless Intervention: Policy And Planning Implications, Carol T. Mowbray, Deborah Bybee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the acknowledged need for effective programs to serve persons who are homeless and mentally ill, few evaluations of these programs provide quantitative details on service provision. Such information can be useful to planners for replication and also for public policy concerning the need to mandate services most in demand. This report on a successful outreach intervention reports information on service amounts, duration, and types, as well as identifying predictors of service use. The overall amount of service provided to eligible participants varied substantially. While the median duration was only three months, repeat service episodes were common. For most clients, …

Predictors Of Depression Among Workers At The Time Of A Plant Closing, Nancy R. Vosler, Deborah Page-Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using an ecological theoretical perspective, this study of white male UAW workers stressed by a plant closing explored predictors of depression at multiple systems levels. The five best predictors of workers' depression were family strengths, age, economic strain, health, and social support. Additional bivariate predictors included self-esteem and having an alcohol problem at the individual level, marital status and family satisfaction at the family system level, and household income, home ownership, and key relationships at the social-environmental level. Implications for collaboration between direct-service and policy-practice social workers are discussed.

Women Behind Bars: Trends And Policy Issues, Mark S. Kaplan, Jennifer E. Sasser

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In the crusade to get tough on crime, policy makers have also gotten tough on women, drawing them into prisons in rapidly growing numbers. Today, incarcerated women are predominately poor, uneducated, and unskilled; are disproportionately African American and Latina young women with children; and have severe health and mental health problems. This article examines the characteristics and needs of these women and presents recommendations for their more humane and pragmatic treatment and for social policy that is relevant for the decarceration of this country's soaring female prison population.

Gay And Lesbian Adoptions: A Theoretical Examination Of Policy-Making And Organizational Decision Making, Thom Reilly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Most of the inquiry into gay and lesbian adoptions has focused on the rights of this population toadopt, the constitutional issues surrounding gay and lesbian parenting, and the outcomes of children raised by homosexual parents. There has been scant focus at the policy-making or organizational level on this issue. Why have public adoption agencies failed to provide either regulation or written policy on the topic of adoption of children by gays and lesbians?

This article pursues a theoretical examination of policy-making and organizational decision making to explore this issue. Additionally, a survey was distributed to adoption officials in each of …

A Statewide Study Of Neighbors' Knowledge Of And Reactions To Physical Child Abuse, Gary W. Paquin, Janet Ford

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Neighbors are believed to have an important influence on child abuse prevention and intervention. This article reports the results of a statewide telephone survey of Kentucky (n = 650) which examined the extent to which respondents suspected neighbors of child abuse (9.4%), and had ever taken in a neighbor's abused or neglected child (7.2%). Variables related to parenting (having a minor child, age, employment status, receiving AFDC benefits) were the only demographic characteristics significantly associated with suspicion of neighbors' abuse; only being the parent of a minor child was significantly associated with taking in a neighbor's child. The results imply …

Review Of Challenges To Social Security: An International Expoloration. James Midgley And Martin B. Tracy (Eds.). Reviewed By Leon Ginsberg, University Of South Carolina., Leon Ginsberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

James Midgley and Martin B. Tracy, Challenges to Social Security: An International Exploration. Westport, CT: Auburn House. 1996, $49.95.

Review Of The Poverty Of Welfare Reform. Joel F. Handler. Reviewed By Howard Karger, University Of Houston., Howard Karger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Joel F. Handler, The Poverty of Welfare Reform. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1995. $25.00 hardcover, $12.00 papercover.

Review Of Growth Theories In The Light Of The East Asian Experience. Takatoshi Ito And Anne 0. Krueger (Eds.). Reviewed By K. L. Tang, University Of Northern British Columbia., K. L. Tang

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Takatoshi Ito & Anne 0. Krueger (Eds.), Growth Theories in Light of the East Asian Experience. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1995. $65 Hardcover.

The Disposable Workforce. Thomas S. Moore.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Thomas S. Moore, The Disposable Workforce. Hawthorne, NY: 1996. $37.95 hardcover, $18.95 papercover.

The New Generational Contract: Intergenerational Relations, Old Age And Welfare. Alan Walker (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Alan Walker (Ed.), The New Generational Contract: Intergenerational Relations, Old Age and Welfare. London: UCL Press, 1996. $24.95 papercover. [Available from Taylor and Francis, Bristol, PA].

Improving Social Work Practice With Persons Who Are Homeless And Mentally Ill, Carol T. Mowbray, Shirley P. Thrasher, Evan Cohen, Deborah Bybee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite a proliferation of programs targeted for persons who are homeless and mentally ill, few reports in the literature detail the challenges experienced or strategies utilized by workers, the majority of whom are social workers. The present study reports results from two focus group sessions held with staff running a model service intervention for this population at two separate sites. The methodology that was utilized quanitified results, allowing presentation of themes, as well as comparisons of the frequency of responses across categories and by site. Staff perceived barriersa ssociatedw ith client behaviors and characteristicsp redominated at both sites. However, systemic …

Participatory Research And Community Organizing, Sung Sil Lee Sohng

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The paper summarizes the political economy of knowledge production in an increasingly privatized, postindustrial world of knowledge society. This analysis is linked to the emergence of participatory research movements. It argues that the participatory approach to community research offers epistemology and methodology that address people, power and praxis in our postmodern, information society. The paper then describes howa participatory research project is carried out in community practice, articulating key moments and the roles of the researcher and participants. In order to develop this understanding further, it examines the efforts of two specific projects and shows how knowledge production can serve …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 23, No. 4 (December 1996)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• IMPROVING SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH PERSONS WHO ARE HOMELESS AND MENTALLY ILL - Carol T. Mowbray, Shirley P. Thraser, Evan Cohen, and Deborah Bybee
• PREDICTORS OF DEPRESSION AMONG WORKERS AT THE TIME OF A PLANT CLOSING - Nancy R. Vosler and Deborah Page-Adams
• WOMEN BEHIND BARS: TRENDS AND POLICY ISSUES - Mark S. Kaplan and Jennifer E. Sasser
• IMPLICIT BELIEFS ABOUT CHANGE: A THEORY-GROUNDED MEASURE APPLIED TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SERVING CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES - Susan B. Silverberg, Sherry C. Betts, Angela J. Huebner, and Sonia Cota-Robles
• PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING - Sung Sil Lee Sohng …

Review Of Small Change: Domestic Policy Under The Clinton Presidency. David Stoesz. Reviewed By James Midgley, Louisiana State University., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

David Stoesz, Small Change: Domestic Policy under the Clinton Presidency. New White Plains, NY: Longman, 1996. $25.00 papercover.

America Unequal. Sheldon Danziger And Peter Gottscshalk.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sheldon Danziger and Peter Gottscshalk, America Unequal. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995. $26.00 hardcover.

Implicit Beliefs About Change: A Theory-Grounded Measure Applied To Community Organizations Serving Children, Youth, And Families, Susan B. Silverberg, Sherry C. Betts, Angela J. Huebner, Sonia Cota-Robles

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The aim of this study was to design and evaluate a theory-grounded measure that taps staff beliefs about the possibility for change in an organization which serves children, youth and families at the community level. The rationale for measuring staff beliefs about change derived from a motivation theory that features two contrasting beliefs structures (entity vs. incremental), and the goals and behavioral dispositions associated with each (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Twenty-nine individuals associated with the community-based organization completed the newly developed Implicit Beliefs About Change Scale (IBACS) and participatedi n a semi-structured interview. Quantitative analyses indicated that the IBACS has …

The Populist Persuasion. Michael Kazin.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Michael Kazin, The Populist Persuasion. New York: Basic Books, 1995. $24.00 hardcover.

The Underdevelopment Of Development: Essays In Honor Of Andre Gunder Frank. Sing C. Chew And Robert A. Denmark, (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sing C. Chew and Robert A. Denmark, (Eds.), The Underdevelopment of Development: Essays in Honor of Andre Gunder Frank. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996. $58.00 hardcover, $27.95 papercover.

Strategies Of Community Intervention. (Fifth Edition). Jack Rothman, John L. Erlich And John E. Tropman (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jack Rothman, John L. Erlich and John E. Tropman (Eds.), Strategies of Community Intervention. (Fifth Edition). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock, 1995. $36.50 papercover.

Real Welfare Reform Requires Jobs: Lessons From A Progressive Welfare Agency, Robert J. Sheak, Warren Haydon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article discusses evidence from a local progressive welfare agency that has, along with other achievements, created innovate work programs within the framework of Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS). We discuss the institutional and bureaucratic limits of what such agencies can accomplish and that there has been some room for innovation for agencies that are so inclined. We then focus on two work-related innovations within the local JOBS program that demonstrate that there are many welfare clients ready and able to work in useful jobs. We take the position that government job creation is necessary to fill the employment …

Review Of Young Men In The Street: Help Seeking Behaviour Of Young Male Prostitutes. Cudore L. Snell. Reviewed By Ronald J. Mancoske, Southern University At New Orleans., Ronald J. Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Cudore L. Snell, Young Men in the Street: Help Seeking Behavior of Young Male Prostitutes. Greenwood, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1995. $39.95 hardcover.

The Effects Of Race And Marital Status On Child Support And Work Effort, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience (NLSLME), Young Women's Cohort, to assess the influence of race and marital status on levels of child support and work effort of recipients of child support in 1978,1983,1988, and 1991. Controlling for the number of children and highest completed grade of education, the study found that race exerted no effect on either level of child support payments or work effort in any of the study years. Marital status influenced level of child support in each study year and work effort only in 1983. Formerly-married mothers had the …

Reconceptualizing Women's Work: A Focus On The Domestic And Eligibility Work Of Women On Welfare, Alice Abel Kemp, Pam Jenkins, Molly Biehl

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The types of work performed by women receiving public assistance are examined. Research on women's work often neglects the labor of poor women, reinforcing the view that women receiving welfare do not work. This perspective is challenged with focus group and interview data from welfare recipients in New Orleans, Louisiana. We conclude that within the restrictions of public assistance, poor women are engaging in three types of work: domestic work for their families, economic work for cash-both legal and illegal work, and eligibility work. Eligibility work is defined as the labor necessary to obtain and maintain public assistance.

Residualism And Rural America: A Decade Later, Steve Jacob, Fern K. Willits, Leif Jensen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Rural residents, more so than their urban counterparts are popularly believed to view the use of social welfare programs as appropriate only as last (residual) means of obtaining help. The extent to which this belief reflected reality was assessed by Camasso and Moore (1985) a decade ago using data from a 1980 survey of Pennsylvania residents. Congruent with the residualist hypotheses they found that rural residents were less supportive than urban people of social welfare programming, even when the effects of various personal sociodemographic characteristics were controlled. This paper replicates the workof Camasso and Moore by reporting findings from a …

Coherency Among Substance Abuse Models, Stephen Kauffman, John Poulin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social policy decisions are often made based upon socially constructed models of human behavior. As such, understanding the social constructions in a given policy area is of utmost importance. This study examines three competing models within the substance abuse area: the moral model, the disease model, and the biopsychosocial model. Utilizing survey data from a random sample telephone survey of 1,019 residents of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, the study examines a) the degree to which individual models are internally consistent between beliefs about causes and beliefs about solutions, b) whether the assumptions in competing models are in fact different; and c) …

Review Of Supportive Interviewing In Human Service Organizations: Fundamental Skills For Gathering Information And Encouraging Productive Change. Kenneth France And Michelle Kish. Reviewed By Nazneen Mayadas, University Of Texas, Arlington., Nazneen Mayadas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Kenneth France and Michelle Kish, Supportive Interviewing in Human Service Organizations: Fundamental Skills for Gathering Information and Encouraging Productive Change. Springfield, IL: Charles Thomas Publisher, 1995. $65.95 hardcover, $36.95 papercover.

Review Of Social Development: The Development Perspective In Social Welfare. James Midgley. Reviewed By Martin B. Tracy, Southern Illinois University At Carbondale, Martin B. Tracy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

James Midgley, Social Development: The Developmental Perspective in Social Welfare. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995. $65.00 hardcover, $21.95 papercover.

Tactics And Techniques Of Community Intervention. (Third Edition). John E. Tropman, John L. Erlich And Jack Rothman (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

John E. Tropman, John L. Erlich and Jack Rothman (Eds.), Tactics and Techniques of Community Intervention. (Third Edition). Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock, 1995. $36.50 papercover.