Influencing Social Policy

Kenneth I. Maton is a Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor of Public Policy at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His primary areas of research are minority student achievement and empowering community settings. He has taught a graduate level course on social policy for the past 30 years, received the Special Contributions to Public Policy Award from the Society for Community Research and Action in 2013, and served as lead co-editor of the volume Investing in Children, Youth, Families, and Communities: Strengths-based Research and Policy.

"As president of the William T. Grant Foundation I met many social scientists who hoped their work would be useful to policymakers. But they had few models for how that might happen. Ken Maton's thoughtful analysis fills that important gap." --Robert C. Granger, EdD, Past-President, William T. Grant Foundation"This volume is a major contribution to the literature of social policy in the public interest. It is a book many of us have been waiting for. It allows us to learn directly from conversations with psychologists who have themselves engaged in policy work of various kinds. Every graduate program in social, developmental, clinical, and community psychology-as well as those in in related fields such as anthropology, social work, and education-would benefit frominclusion of this book in its curriculum." --Julian Rappaport, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Series Foreword by Nicole E. Allen and Bradley Olson Foreword by Murray Levine Preface Chapter 1: Psychologists in the Social Policy Arena Chapter 2: Psychologists in the Policy Arena: Policy Process, Use of Research, Vantage Points, Methods, and Skills Chapter 3: University Faculty in the Policy Arena Chapter 4: Psychologists Working in Intermediary Organizations Chapter 5: Psychologists Working as Policy Insiders Chapter 6: Policy-Relevant Research: Characteristics and Pathways to Policy Influence Chapter 7: Policy Journeys: Multiple Involvements, Distinctive Aspects, and Influences Chapter 8: Policy Failures and Defeats, Barriers and Challenges, and Lessons Learned Chapter 9: Conclusions and Future Directions Appendix A Interviewees by Subfield Appendix B Alphabetical List of Interviewees Appendix C Interview Protocol Appendix D Policy Characteristics, Interdisciplinary Involvements, Leadership Positions, and International Focus of Interviewees Glossary References About the Author Index