Social Welfare Policy for a Sustainable Future

Katherine S. van Wormer, MSSW, PhD, is professor of social work at the University of Northern Iowa. Her PhD is in sociology from the University of Georgia. Uniquely in the 1960s, van Wormer participated in two civil rights movements—one in North Carolina and one in Northern Ireland, where she taught English for several years. In the late 1980s, she moved to Norway for two years to practice alcoholism counseling. Dr. van Wormer has authored or co-authored over 20 books and 60 articles. Among the recent books she has authored or co-authored are Death by Domestic Violence: Preventing the Murders and the Murder-Suicides (2009, Praeger); Working with Female Offenders: A Gender-Sensitive Approach, (2010, Wiley & Sons); two volumes of Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Micro and Macro Levels, Second Edition (2011, Oxford University Press); and Addiction Treatment: A Strengths Perspective, Third Edition (2012, Cengage). Her most recent books are Restorative Justice Today (2012, SAGE) and Women and the Criminal Justice System, Fourth Edition (2014, Pearson). Dr. van Wormer and her co-author have done numerous speaking engagements related to their 2012 book, The Maid Narratives: African American Domestic Workers and their Employers in the Jim Crow South (LSU Press).Rosemary J. Link, PhD, LISW received her undergraduate honors degree in modern history and politics with sociology from the University of Southampton and her postgraduate diploma in applied social studies from the University of London. After ten years as a school social worker then educational administrator, Dr. Link attended the University of Minnesota for her PhD in social work with a special interest in children’s rights and social policy. Dr. Link served as a professor of social work and dean of graduate studies at Augsburg College where she assisted in building the MA in leadership and gaining the accreditation of the MSW and nursing programs. Dr. Link is currently associate vice president for Academic Affairs at Simpson College, Iowa where she is primarily responsible for building undergraduate and graduate programs for adult learners. In addition to administration, Dr. Link has chaired the Board of Southside Family Nurturing Center for six years (2003-2009) and she has ongoing research interest in children’s wellbeing and human rights. She has served as external examiner to the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica and the University of Bharathair, Coimbatore. Dr Link has published numerous articles related to child poverty, human rights and social development, plus five books, including: a study of child poverty together with Dr. Anthony Bibus, titled “When Children Pay”; a textbook in human behavior together with co-author Dr Chathapuram Ramanathan, titled All Our Futures; a curriculum design text together with Dr. Lynne Healy, Models of International Curriculum in Social Work; and co-editor of the Handbook for International Social Work and Human Rights. In 2005-2006, Dr. Link received a state department grant to serve as an educational ambassador in Slovenia, India, and Singapore.

A text with both critical thinking and sustainability focus.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsPart I. Foundations of Social Welfare Policy1. Social Work and Social Policy: A Sustainability FrameworkDefinitions and StandardsThe Welfare State in the Face of ChallengesChallenges to Social Welfare: Power, Exploitation, and Unintended ConsequencesSocial Welfare Policy and Social Work2. Historical Foundations of Social Welfare PolicyFeudalism and the Rise of CapitalismThe American Experience: “Exceptionalism” and Its DiscontentsThe Civil War and Its AftermathThe Progressive Era (1900 to World War I)The Mid-20th Century: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and BeyondThe Backlash: Late 20th Century and the Modern Era3. Purpose and Structure of Social Welfare PolicyThe Religious Underpinnings of Social WelfareThe Practical Application of ValuesAmerican Exceptionalism and the Corporation4. Environmental Sustainability and the Social Work ProfessionA Brief Eco HistoryThe Planet in Crisis: The Scope of Environmental Loss and DamageFood, Water, and Population GrowthModern Agriculture and the Loss of BiodiversityThe Promise of Social WorkSocial Welfare Policy Considerations5. Poverty and Inequality by Suzanne McDevittPoverty and Inequality in the 21st CenturyDefining and Measuring Poverty6. Minority Groups and the Impact of OppressionOppressionSystemic Examples of OppressionProgress and BacklashCulturally Competent Social Work PracticePart II. Policies to Meet Human Needs7. Child WelfareThe Convention on the Rights of the ChildThe CRC in Practice8. Sustainable Health Care PoliciesHistory of U.S. Health Care ReformThe Affordable Care ActDisability PolicyGlobal Perspectives on Health Policy9. Mental Health Care PolicyMental Health Issues: Definitions and ChallengesHistorical Views of Mental Health and IllnessSocial Aspects of Mental IllnessSocial Programs for Better Mental HealthTrauma and the Social Work Response10. Sustainable Policy for Older Adults by Christina L. EricksonAging Worldwide: An OverviewThe Development of Programs for Older AmericansOlder Adults in SocietyHousing and Long-Term CareSustainable Policy for Older Adults: An Intergenerational Approach11. Human RightsImmediate Threats to Human Rights: War and GunsThe United Nations and Universal Human RightsThe Role of Social Work in Human Rights12. Sustainability Policy Analysis and Policy PracticeDefining Policy AnalysisHow Are Social Policies Made?Sustainability and PolicyProgressive Policy Analysis for a Sustainable FutureFrom Policy Analysis to Policy PracticeEthical Issues Relevant to Social Change EffortsDrawing on Our Social Work ImaginationAppendix A: Universal Declaration of Human RightsAppendix B: Relevant Internet SitesIndexAbout the AuthorsAbout the Contributors