'Seldom has a senior public servant been so candid. As a key policymaker, Meredith Edwards takes us inside the process to reveal how we get the policies the affect so much of our lives.' - Paul Kelly, International Editor, The Australian 'This innovative and important volume, unique in the policy literature, provides ideas and case studies of interest to everyone who cares about the quality of Australian public policy. It will be an indispensable guide to past choices, and its lessons should help shape future Australian social policy decisions.' - Dr Glyn Davis, co-author of The Australian Policy Handbook How are social policies conceived, developed and put into practice? Based on four case studies of social policy reforms in which the author was a major player (the Child Support Scheme, AUSTUDY, the Higher Education Contribution scheme (HECS) and long-term employment policies presented as 'Working Nation') Social Policy, Public Policy provides insights into what is often otherwise seen as a 'black box' on how policy advice occurs. Meredith Edwards' personal experience, revealed in extracts from her journal, provides a picture of what social policy participants actually do, something on which too little has been written. Questions addressed in the book include: How was the policy problem identified and articulated and by whom? What were the key ingredients in policy analysis? When did consultation occur and in what form? How was the policy decision arrived at? What were the events between decision and implementation? And what evaluation processes occurred? Social Policy, Public Policy is essential reading for all students of public policy and policy advisers.

This classic volume was originally designed as an introduction to social science perspectives on a broad range of social issues in American society, specifically the complex social problems of the 1960s. Because the volume is structured as a survey, it is neither exhaustive or defi nitive. It does provide a wide range of information about these problems, as well as the many diff erent policy initiatives that were developed to cope with them. Readers can learn a great deal about the common themes, predilections and quandaries that characterized United States responses to the complex problems of the 1960s and the patterns of inequality and injustice prevalent at that time.The essays were selected to cover the range of substantive problematic issues of the period, the social science perspectives that were brought to bear on them, and the range of social science methodologies used. Finally, the selections emphasize the contributions that can be made to understanding social problems by intensive and rigorous social science research.Journalists and popular writers use a common sense approach to their study of social problems, and the results are often imaginative and incisive. Th e tools of social scientists produce information and analyses that contribute far more to our understanding than even the most insightful journalist can achieve. Th e selections in this volume highlight the deeper and more fundamental understanding of social issues that can come from rigorous analysis of government statistics, and from special sample surveys, from in-depth ethnographic studies.

The discipline of social policy, oftentimes deemed a part of social work as a profession, was born in the West. Unlike social policy that started with the post-war idea of a welfare state in the mid-20th century, social work traces its roots to individual casework pioneered by the Charity Organization Society (COS), early social administration including state-wide poverty relief (an advocacy effort of the COS but with deep roots in the English Poor Laws of the 17th century), and social action emphasizing political activities to improve social conditions (originating from the Settlement House Movement which began in the 1880s). The development of social work is historically intertwined with that of public welfare, philanthropy, and charity and is an inherently international subject. This conception is broader than “international social work” as a discrete field of professional practice, which crosses geopolitical borders and all levels of social and economic organizations with a focus on development. However, each nation has a story of its own in terms of professionalization of social work in the evolution of public welfare and philanthropic/charitable undertaking within its particular economic, political, social, and cultural settings. A wide-ranging and in-depth study of various (especially non-Western) country cases is essential to an adequate, comprehensive understanding of the social work profession, which is also a basic requirement of its value of diversity. China is undoubtedly an important case with the largest population on earth. It’s also unique in view of so-called Chinese characteristics which are sometimes fundamentally different from other (particularly Western) societies. It’s even intriguing given the country’s lengthy, complex history and its recent, rapid rise to a global superpower with a claim of national goals and core values that seem to be rather considerable to social work as a helping profession. Therefore, any significant lessons learned from the Chinese experiences would help with a better international understanding and further advancement of social work and public welfare at a global scale.

Exploring the increasing involvement of the private sector in social policy, this collection examines the complex relationship between the public and private sectors from an international perspective, focusing on health and pension policies.

Originally published in 1985, Women, Social Science and Public Policy looks at what difference the debate over the position of women had made to the way social scientists worked and thought, or to law and social policies at the time. Debate had been widespread during the 1960s and 1970s and this book takes stock. It avoids the standard statistics on the position of women and concentrates instead on the challenges contained in this long debate to the way research topics and method are selected – challenges in effect to the assumption of ‘business as usual’ with the addition of a few details on women. Sponsored by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, this book is deliberately multi-disciplinary. Chapters are written by leading scholars in anthropology, economics, history, law, politics, psychology, sociology and government. These authors share both a theoretical and practical knowledge of ideas and policies. They share also a concern with analysing basic assumptions and to set Australian research and debate in an international context. This thoughtful book will be of interest to all who wish to understand the theoretical and the policy issues underpinning much of the feminist debate, and the way in which it affects their own thinking about issues of social science, social policy and social structure.

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.

Public administration plays an integral role at every stage of social policy creation and execution. Program operators' management decisions shape policymakers' perceptions of what can and should be accomplished through social programs, while public administrators wield considerable power to mobilize tangible and intangible resources and fill gaps in policy designs. Furthermore, the cumulative effects of public administrators' daily activities directly influence outcomes for program participants, and may shift policy itself. Location also matters to social policy, as those same administrators are expected to innovate continuously in response to shifting local and national conditions, including changes in budgetary allocations, client needs and capacities, and public attitudes. This Handbook will aim to capture what is being learned across six geographical regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. and Canada. Specifically, each regional section will contain 6-10 chapters canvassing a particular set of promising practices or emerging challenges at the regional or sub-regional level, in addition to a brief overview written by the section editor. The regional sections will be flanked by integrative chapters. As a whole, the volume contains 65 chapters.

Social justice is a contested term, incorporated into the language of widely differing political positions. Those on the left argue that it requires intervention from the state to ensure equality, at least of opportunity; those on the right believe that it can be underpinned by the economics of the market place with little or no state intervention. To date, political philosophers have made relatively few serious attempts to explain how a theory of social justice translates into public policy. This important book, drawing on international experience and a distinguished panel of political philosophers and social scientists, addresses what the meaning of social justice is, and how it translates into the everyday concerns of public and social policy, in the context of both multiculturalism and globalisation.

Reforming health care, revamping the welfare system, preserving or cutting Social Security, creating employment programs for displaced employees, and revising U.S. social programs to help working parents with children - all of these endeavors and more are part of ongoing national debates about the future of social policy in the United States. In this wide-ranging collection of essays, renowned social scientist Theda Skocpol shows how historical understanding, centered on U.S. governmental institutions and shifting political alliances, can illuminate the limits and possibilities of American social policymaking both past and present.