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The Handbook of Social Policy
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The Handbook of Social Policy

Second Edition
Edited by:


July 2008 | 624 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Social policy is a continuously evolving field requiring constant review, documentation, and analysis. The Handbook of Social Policy is an attempt to document the now substantial body of knowledge about government social policies that has been accumulated since the study of social policy first emerged as an organized field of academic endeavor about 50 years ago. The Second Edition offers a more streamlined format to make the book more consistent with the way most instructors teach their courses. This text is a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to a vast field of endeavor that has, over the years, made a significant difference to the lives and the well-being of the people of the United States.

New to the Second Edition
  • Provides up-to-date policies and references to include the latest information on social policy
  • Offers a state of the art account of American social policy at the beginning of the 21st century
  • Presents contributions, including more case studies and examples, from leading experts in their respective areas challenge the norm in thinking about social welfare policy
  • Focuses more attention on diverse populations and international issues
  • Includes added content to reflect the areas that have received increased attention such as advocacy, policy practice, immigration issues, discrimination, and more

Intended Audience
This is excellent text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as History of Social Policy, Education and Social Policy, and International Social Policy in the fields of social policy, public policy and administration, and social work.


 
Preface
James Midgley, Michelle Livermore
Introduction: Social Policy and Social Welfare
 
PART I. THE NATURE OF SOCIAL POLICY
James Midgley
1. The Definition of Social Policy
Diana M. DiNitto
2. An Overview of American Social Policy
Jane Waldfogel
3. Economic Dimensions of Social Policy
Bruce Jansson
4. Policy Analysis
Richard Hoefer
5. Policy Practice and Advocay
Pranab Chatterjee, Diwakar Vadapalli
6. The Impact of Social Policy
 
PART II. THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL POLICY
Phyllis J. Day
7. Social Policey from Colonial Times to the Civil War
John M. Herrick
8. Social Policy and the Progressive Era
Robert Leighninger, Leslie Leighninger
9. Social Policy and the New Deal
Michael Reisch
10. Social Policy and the Great Society
David Stoesz
11. Social Policy: Regan and Beyond
 
PART III. THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF SOCIAL POLICY
James Midgley
12. The Institutional Approach to Social Policy
Leon Ginsberg
13. Conservative Approaches to Social Policy
Demetrius S. Iatridis
14. Critical Social Policy
Neil Gilbert
15. Welfare Pluralism and Social Policy
Cheryl Hyde
16. Feminist Approaches to Social Policy
Lori Parham, Jill Quadagno, Jordan Brown
17: Race, Politics, and Social Policy
James Midgley, Michael Sherraden
18. The Social Development Perspective in Social Policy
Marie D. Hoff, John G. McNutt
19. Social Policy and the Physical Environment
 
PART IV. SOCIAL POLICY AND THE SOCIAL SERVICES
Katherine Briar-Lawson, Toni Naccarato, Jeanette Drews
20. Child and Family Welfare Policies and Services
Jill Duerr Berrick
21. Income Maintenance and Support: The Changing Face of Welfare
Martha Ozawa
22. Social Security
Fernando M. Torres-Gil, Valentine Villa
23. Social Policy and the Elderly
Jenny Jacobs Kronenfeld
24. Social Policy and Health Care
Kevin Fox Gotham, James D. Wright
25. Housing Policy
James W. Callicutt
26. Social Policies and Mental Health
Elizabeth Lightfoot
27. Social Policies for People With Disabilities
Margaret Severson
28. Social Policy and the Correctional System
Michelle Livermore, Younghee Lim
29. Employment Policy and Social Welfare
Susan Stone
30. Education and Social Policy
Robert Waste
31. Urban Development Policy
 
PART V. CONCLUSION: INTERNATIONAL AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES OF SOCIAL POLICY
Sheila B. Kamerman, Alfred J. Kahn
32. International Aspects of Social Policy
James Midgley, Michelle Livermore
33. The Future of Social Policy
 
Index
 
About the Editors
 
About the Contributors

The book is essential as most of the Part 1 & 11 (chapter 1-6; 12-19 are extremely relevant for our context. I will prescribe it for 2014 henceforth as I already have been using another South African book for the past 4 years.

Poppy Mashego
Department of Social Work & Criminology, University of Pretoria
September 11, 2013

The book was difficult to read and did not cover much of the subject matter in my course material.

Mr Jose Juarez
Psychology Sociology Dept, California State Polytechnic - Pomona
November 23, 2010
Key features
The Handbook of Social Policy has a number of unique characteristics that have contributed to its success. They include:

1) High Academic Quality - This is probably the most distinctive quality of the book; it is highly respected as leading experts in their respective areas challenge the norm in thinking about social welfare policy. Contributing authors are from top rated schools of social work as UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, UCLA, and the Univeristy of Chicago to name a few.

2) It is more comprehensive than most policy textbooks - It defines welfare in a broader context than merely services.

3) Accessible yet sophisticated writing style - This factor has made the handbook easily adaptable for classroom use. Instructors like it because it challenges students to think beyond a standard policy text.

Sage College Publishing

You can purchase or sample this product on our Sage College Publishing site:

Go To College Site

This title is also available on SAGE Knowledge, the ultimate social sciences online library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial.