Political Science Commons^™

The Failure Of The Destitute Mother's Bill: The Use Of Political Power In Social Welfare, Eve P. Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although social and economic conditions and prevailing popular philosophies may affect the success or failure of an attempt at change in social welfare policy and practice, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the political forces for and against the change may be more important. In 1897, fourteen years before the passage of the first U.S. Mothers' Pension law in Illinois, New York State Senator John Ahearn attempted such a law in New York. Although the bill was passed unanimously by both houses of the State Legislature, it was never signed into law. The reason was that the children's institutions and …

Harry Lurie's Assessment And Prescription: An Early View Of Social Workers' Roles And Responsibilities Regarding Political Action, Joe M. Schriver

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harry Lawrence Lurie's recommendations and analyses concerning social workers' involvement in political action are reviewed. By reviewing some of Lurie's concerns and activities from the 1930's into the 1950's in this area, it is possible to gain helpful guidance and insight into contemporary concerns about social workers in the political arena. Lurie argued consistently for greater involvement by social workers in political action as individuals, as members of professional organizations, and in coalition with other groups outside of social work who were concerned with progressive social change. Lurie also articulated many of the conditions preventing effective political action by social …

Electoralism, Mobilization And Strategies For The 80s: An Assessment Of Organizing Trends In The Mid-Decade, Steve Burghardt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Community organizers in the United States have two tasks today: a short-term defensive one of holding back the rightward assault against both the social welfare state and the working class in general; and a long-term, mobilizing task of building a constituency strong enough to transform the welfare state itself. We cannot lose sight of this latter goal, for the method and objectives we set for ourselves in the short-run will greatly determine the feasibility of our long-term goals.

This is no small matter, for the assault on the welfare state is as fundamental to the restructuring of class and social …

The Influence Of Rev. Jesse Jackson's Candidacy For President On Pluralistic Politics: Implications For Community Action, James Craigen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This essay addresses the significant changes in power relationships brought about by the candidacy of the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson for President of the United States. Specifically, it will attempt to focus on themes or issues reflecting the impact of his entry into the contest for the Democratic nomination as a viable Black candidate in November 1983, and the consequent redefinition of power relationships which occurred not only within the Democratic Party, but between Blacks and Whites, Blacks and Jews, Black elected and appointed officials, and his effort on relative deprivation among the people in the Rainbow coalition that he …

Foreign Graduate Students’ Political Participation In Two Different Political Environments, Ragaa Ibrahim Selim

Masters Theses

Student political activism as an area of study has become less attractive to Western writers because of the sharp decline in student activism that was characteristic of the 60s. While the Western nations now discuss student activism as historical events, countries in the developing world are still engulfed with student political activism.

This research is comparative and analytic. It shows that the issue at stake in a political environment is more significant than the political environment itself; that students from the developing world are much more politically active than their counterparts in the developed world; that political participation is an …

A Comparative Study Of The Members Of Citizen Advisory Committees In Two Cities, Maryam Hasan

Masters Theses

This research describes and compares locally initiated citizen advisory committees in two Michigan cities, Kalamazoo and Portage. The goal of the description and comparison was to assess the differences, if any, in advisory members' definitions and perceptions of advisory committee purposes, membership characteristics, activities, organization, and members' satisfaction with advisory committee's recommendations and other activities. The study has revealed that there is no significant differences statistically or analytically between the two cities in the area of locally initiated advisory committees even though Kalamazoo is a central city of a metropolitan area with a more heterogeneous population than Portage, a suburban …

Political Integration: A National Language For Malaysia, Zairina Othman

Masters Theses

This study investigates the need of a national language policy to promote political integration in a new nation, using Malaysia as an example. The thesis attempts to explain why Bahasa Malaysia was chosen as the national language and how its implementation as the prime language of political, social, and economic communication has contributed towards national political unity and stability in Malaysia. Three propositions are presented and investigated in support of the thesis.

The first proposition suggests that an acceptable national language helps foster political integration in a culturally pluralistic society. The primary objective would be to replace a specific ethnocultural …

The Fall Of South Vietnam: A Study Of The South Vietnamese Armed Forces, Binh Phuoc Le

Masters Theses

The South Vietnamese armed force was one of the largest and well-equipped armed forces in the world, yet less than two months after the Communists opened their final offensive the whole South Vietnamese armed forces disintegrated. Consequently, this led to the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. This study attempts to analyze the weaknesses of the South Vietnamese armed forces relating to organization, personnel (officers and recruits), training, armaments, and the utilization of American aid. Overall, this study suggests that because of the weaknesses of the South Vietnamese armed forces, they were unable to defend South Vietnam from falling to …

Moving From Professionalism To Political Advocacy In The Human Services--How To Organize A Successful Statewide Political Effort In Youth Services, Milan J. Dluhy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current funding environment makes political advocacy on the part of social work professionals mandatory. The social work literature on political advocacy is reviewed and categorized into schools of thought. The major portion of the paper, however, presents and then analyzes a case study of a statewide youth services association in order to gain more insight into how professional social workers can develop and use more successful political strategies and tactics.

The Relative Effectiveness Of Legislative Campaigning In A School Of Social Work, L. K. Northwood, Mike Parker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There are three interrelated strategies commonly used by social workers for coping with the conservative attack on social welfare institutions: client advocacy, electoral, and policy strategies. The paper evaluates the relative effectiveness of the policy strategy when 532 members of a school of social work were asked to write their legislators in support of progressive legislation. Five indicators of the relative effectiveness of this campaign were identified and assessed. The campaign is adjudged relatively effective from the standpoint of enlisting and motivating participants "ready for service or action' (action potential); in implementing a formal plan or organization--a "connected series of …

The Need For Compensating Victims Of Violent Crime, Alan Roger Phelps

Masters Theses

This paper identifies how the victim of violent crime in the United States receives little attention from his or her government. A review of the historical developments which highlight how civilized society has taken the right to punish, negotiate, and receive direct compensation away from the methods of compensating crime victims are examined. Finally, this paper demonstrates how, by utilizing victim compensation programs, the criminal justice system will be improved and the amount of crime and number of victimizations in our society will be reduced.

Reaganomics And The Welfare State, Mimi Abramovitz, Tom Hopkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Supply-side tax and spending policies have intensified poverty, unemployment and inequality, especially for women, minorities and organized labor. At the same time Reaganomics is shrinking and weakening the welfare state. To better understand and resist this conservative assault it is necessary to demystify the "economics" and "politics" of supply-side doctrine. This paper (a) defines the basic assumptions of supply-side economics; (b) identifies some of its problems and contradictions; (c) discusses its impact on the welfare state; and (d) analyzes it as part of a broader plan for coping with the current economic crisis. It argues that the supply-side tax cut …

The 1932 Coup In Thailand: An Account Of A Participant In The Coup, Perasant Ratanakul Serireongrith

Masters Theses

This study is a discussion of the 19 32 military coup d'etat in Thailand and the economic, political, and social conditions that contributed to that coup. A brief historical background of the absolute monarchy of the nation is included. There is a discussion of the coup participants and their motives, as well as their planning and execution of the coup on June 24, 19 32. Throughout the study is information acquired through recent taped interviews with General Charoon Ratanakul Serireongrith, a participant of the coup.

Coalition Politics In Malaysia, Zakiah Awang

Masters Theses

This thesis has attempted to explain the success and the stability of the coalition party system in Malaysia from 1955 to 1982. This success has been attributed to three factors.

The most important factor is the role played by political elites. Malaysian political elites come from a different racial background. It is their willingness to cooperate, work together in harmony and to find solutions through compromises that helped to hold the coalition party together. Elite cooperation, in turn, has been fostered through similarities in the leaders' socioeducational- linguistic backgrounds.

The success of the coalition party is also closely linked to …

The Moral Majority: The Fundamental1st-Christian's Fight Against Humanism And Pluralism In American Politics, James A. Kruis

Masters Theses

The Moral Majority claims to be nonreligious but they are actually a very religious reaction against humanism and pluralism, fighting their battle from behind a facade of legitimate moral issues. Their reaction against humanism is due to their failure to distinguish properly between religion and morality. Their reaction against pluralism is a result of the fact that pluralism has been overextended and thus weakened, making it vulnerable to attack. In place of humanism and pluralism the Moral Majority advocates more freedom: freedom from government interference and freedom to solve social problems with "moral, spiritual" solutions.

The Moral Majority could make …

Staff Activities In The Texas House Of Representatives, David F. Prindle, James Burshtyn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this study multivariate analysis is applied to the allocation of staff time among members of the Texas House of Representatives. Ideology of the representative is found to be an important factor in explaining differences in staff behavior. Chief staffers serving liberal Democrats and Republicans report spending less time on constituency service, and more time on policy research, than do staffers serving conservative Democrats. There are differences between the parties, but not between the ideologies, on time spent with lobbyists. Other variables, such as urban population of the district, and the years a legislator has served in the House, show …

The Impact Of Women Legislators On Introduction Of Social Legislation Into A Southern State House, Marjorie A. Baney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The study investigated the interest of male and female legislators in social legislation as measured by the number of bills each group introduced. Legislators included in the study were the entire female population of the North Carolina General Assembly House of Representatives serving between January and July 1981, and an equal number of their male colleagues randomly selected. Comparisons of the female and male legislators in the study criteria such as number of legislative terms served, relative power of committees on which they served, number of committee chairpersonships and independent rankings and effectiveness by colleagues, lobbyists and the media revealed …

Social Work Pac's And State Social Work Associations Purpose, History, And Action Strategies, Gary Mathews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work as a profession has only recently become politically active. One consequence of this interest in the political process has been the proliferation of political action committees as creatures of the National Association of Social Workers and its state chapters. Social work PAC's are a key ingredient necessary to enable the profession to influence public policy. Perhaps because political action committees are new to NASW, or perhaps because NASW is new to politics, very little has been written about the history, purpose or strategic implications of these committees.

This paper will trace the development and operation of PAC's and …

Policy Traditions In American State Politics, Robert L. Savage

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An examination of the states across a wide range of policy innovations during three historical periods reveals policy traditions having distinctive geographic limits roughly conforming to major regions commonly recognized in American politics. Only two of these traditions, the "Southern Parochial" and the "Northeastern Bureaucratic," persist across time and even these have been weakened. This provides some evidence that while multilinear evolution along regional lines will continue to contribute to differences in policy values among the American states in the foreseeable future, sociocultural integration is the stronger dynamic in American political development, especially since about 1930.

An Advocacy Approach For More Effective Program Delivery And Coordination: A Case Study Of Maine's Housing Rehab Techs, Kenneth K. Ahn, James F. Horan, G. Thomas Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A detailed case analysis of the Maine Housing Rehabilitation Project provides an exploratory observation of the innovative use of human resources at the federal, state and regional levels through an evolutionary development process of housing rehabilitation technicians. Functioning largely as advocate planners and human service delivery administrators through self-expanded roles, these individuals were able to promote change in the context of this intergovernmental environment. The analysis presented here reveals findings of intrastate regional differences between the urban and rural areas. Low income citizens appear to be the main beneficiaries of a proactive style of leadership that was performed by the …

Alternative Service Delivery Strategies: Factors In States' Decision Making, Harold W. Demone Jr., Margaret Gibelman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article focuses on the range of choices and factors affecting state level decision making about how human services are to be delivered. In light of the dual thrusts of decentralization and privatization, the viability of public-private partnerships through contracting for services is explored. Among the significant factors affecting decisions about alternative forms of service delivery are: political and fiscal preferences; the strength of organized labor; the role and availability of the private service sector and history with purchase of service. The advantages and disadvantages attributed to a contracting model for delivering services are unlikely to be argued from an …

The Marxian And The Weberian Theories Of Bureaucracy: Contradictions And Approximations, Khai Leong Ho

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyse (1) the basic elements in Marx's and Weber's theories of bureaucracy, and (2) the contradictions and approximations that appear in both the Marxian and the Weberian paradigms. An attempt is made to examine the dysfunctional aspects of bureaucracy in relation to the Weberian model, and the bureaucratization of socialism which is the unanticipated consequence of the Marxian model. The conclusion of this study indicates that the two seemingly opposite approaches, after all, have certain similarities in their theoretical framework and in their practical dilemma.

Community Development In Northeast Thailand A Case Study Of Don-Lum-Kom Village, Peerapat Booncharoen

Masters Theses

This is the study of community development problems confronting a rural village (Don-Lum-Kom) in Northeast Thailand. The study is based on field research and examines five major topics. First, a history of community development in Thailand is provided; second, an overview of Don-Lum-Kom village is given; third, agricultural changes are described and evaluated; fourth, educational changes are described and evaluated; and fifth, the conflict between bureaucracy and culture is examined.

Political Leadership And National Development In The Republic Of Korea, Woo-Sung Koh

Masters Theses

This thesis has attempted quantitatively to establish a positive relationship between political leadership and national development in South Korea during the period from 1948 to 1982.

The major concepts used in this study are political leader (President or Prime Minister), task elite (Cabinet Minister), and national development (political stability and socio-economic development). The social background data of the South Korean cabinet ministers were obtained from newspapers, journal articles, and biographical dictionaries.

Since the inception of the Republic of Korea in 19^8, the various regimes have contributed to bring about South Korea's success with national development. However, their records have varied. …

The Political Philosophy Of John Rawls: An Examination Of His View Of Man And Social Stability In The Just Society, Calvin Jay Mouw

Masters Theses

The thesis constitutes a critical examination of Rawl's psychological assumptions in A Theory of Justice. Rawl's psychological theory, derived from Rousseau and Kohlberg and characterized by his "Sense of Justice", depends upon overly altruistic assumptions about man's nature. These assumptions, along with resultant high levels of public motivation, lead to a high degree of social instability. Rawls fails to address this instability adequately.

The alternative model developed in this thesis takes as given the demonstrated ability of human beings to cooperate with one another and bases this capacity, in the tradition of Hume, on a mechanism of sympathy which brings …

An Australian Test Of Economic And Political Models Of Welfare State Expenditures: 1945 - 1979, Gordon W. Ternowetsky, Maurreen P. Clissold

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper tests 'political' and 'economic' models of welfare expenditure with post-World War II Australian data. The major antecedents of welfare spending for the overall time period (1945-1979) appeared to be economic growth as mediated by the age of the population and program incrementalism. It was shown, however, that this view misleads rather than clarifies the influence of different factors during specific periods within the overall time series. A periodization of welfare spending was found to be more useful. The periodization analysis showed that the influence of politics on welfare spending is important. Right political strength was found to have …

A Study Of The Contemporary Struggle For Power In Iran, Reza Assadi

Masters Theses

Historically speaking, the Iranian power straggle is not new. It is, however, the contemporary contest for power which is the focus of this thesis. This study analyzes the struggle for power precipitated by the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It integrates information from a variety of sources, examines key conceptual schemes, major theories of revolution, theories about Islamic Marxism, and describes events which influenced various groups, organizations and individuals in Iran to seek power for themselves. A salient feature of the study is an examination of Iranian communism. Efforts are also made at forecasting how the Iranian power struggle is likely …

A Study Of Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister Of Singapore, And Tengku Abdul Rahman, Former Prime Minister Of Malaysia, Utilizing A Personality Theory Approach, Joan Alice Lim

Masters Theses

James David Barber's typology for categorizing political leaders forms the foundation for this study.

Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore, and Tengku Abdul Rahman, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, are categorized vis-a-vis the active-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, and passive-negative continuua as defined by Barber. The classification is made by utilizing biographical data.

The classifications are then validated by survey data Utilizing the semantic differential, questionnaires were sent to 377 prospective respondents to determine their perceptions of Lee Kuan Yew and Tengku Abdul Rahman. Half of the survey items (21) measured the active-passive spectrum and half (21) measured the positive-negative.

The …

A Comparative Analysis Of John Foster Dulles And Henry A. Kissinger And The Impact Their Personalities Had On The Formulation Of American Foreign Policy, Denis Joseph Sullivan

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the impact of personality on the making of American foreign policy. John Foster Dulles and Henry A. Kissinger dominated the American foreign policy process. Their performance allows the political analyst to study the relationship between personality and policy-making.

What follows is a study of John Foster Dulles and Henry Kissinger, their personal background and development, and especially the problems they faced as presidential advisors. Both men were challenged by wars in the Middle East. These Middle East conflicts are here presented as case studies and they reveal how each of these figures met the test. Efforts are …

Welfare Legislation And American Poverty Traps: Ironies And Characteristics, Theresa Villanueva, Richard J. Caston

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

We argue that legislative attempts to establish bureaucratic programs to eradicate American poverty will invariably result in ironic inconsistencies that will doom such programs to only limited or partial success. As an illustration, we examine the ironic history of the AFDC program as it has been legislated to deal with American poverty. Three sociological accounts for the ironies of welfare programming are then drawn together. One account suggests that undue concern over the work ethic has overridden more direct concern for the deprecating living conditions of the Door. A second account suggests that poverty is so functionally beneficial to a …