Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Interfacing African American Churches With Agencies And Institutions: An Expanding Continuum Of Care With Partial Answers To Welfare Reform, Barbara W. Rogers, Douglas Ronsheim

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It is unrealistic to presume that churches and other private charities can fill the void resulting from welfare reform (Sider,1995; Conniff, 1997); yet there are ways to structure an effective church- and community-based continuum of care that will help to do so. In this article African-American churches are viewed as major players. An explanation of the systems theory of isomorphic replication provides a key to understanding the success of this collaborative model, which addresses issues facing communities while building on their strengths and assets and reckoning with the challenges of working collaboratively. Recurring issues of race, culture, trust, and control …

Improving The Quality Of Child Care In The Rural South, Margaret E. Griffin, R. Dwight Hare, Patrica A. Baggerly, Melinda M. Leftwich, Sue Standifer, Susan A. Elkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A collaborative of six social service agencies and a state university determined that the single most pressing need of families in a 14-county, rural area was child care. The Training Resource Center, developed through a W K. Kellogg Foundation grant, worked with day care licensing and early childhood professional groups to develop a plan to address the systemic nature of the problem of how to improve the quality of child care. Programs developed included training, mentoring, NAEYC accreditation, and a resource library. After 15 months, some programs show the possibility of sustainability.

Partners For Change: Community Residents And Agencies, Julie O'Donnel, James Ferreira, Ralph Hurtado, Ellen Ames, Richard E. Floyd Jr., Lottie M. Sebren

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Efforts to combine the knowledge and skills of community residents and diverse professionals to bring about community and service delivery change are becoming increasingly popular, yet difficult to achieve. This article details, from the perspective of community residents and agency and university staff, the challenges, strategies, and benefits in developing one community-agency collaborative which has successfully engaged community residents. The program is located in a low-income, culturally-diverse, densely populated urban area. Challenges faced by the partnership included recruiting residents, reducing logistical barriers to resident involvement, joining together residents and agency staff, and aligning community and agency goals. Successful strategies in …

Welfare "Reform": Com'in' Up On The Rough Side Of The Mountain, Loretta J. Williams, Roland Ward, Attieno Davis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through the lens of an innovative community-university partnership in the Greater Boston region, the authors analyze how welfare reform organizing overtook a resident-driven empowerment project. Since a major goal of the Chelsea/Dudley Partnership in MA is to support residents in exerting greater power over the practices and policies of community agencies, projects have been initiated in the city of Chelsea and the Dudley neighborhood of Boston to organize, and to strengthen, low income women by training them as welfare advocates. This paper examines how the efforts evolved, and how the community and the university partners are playing a key role …

Review Of Social Welfare In Global Context. James Midgley. Reviewed By Cryl Abrahams, University Of Calgary., Cryl Abrahams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

James Midgley, Social Welfare in Global Context. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 1997, $ 52.00 hardcover, $ 24.95 papercover.

Social Policy In Britain: Themes And Issues. Pete Alcock.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Pete Alock, Social Policy in Britain: Themes and Issues. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. $ 49.95 hardcover.

Teen Mothers And The Revolving Welfare Door. Kathleen Mullan Harris

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Kathleen Mullan Harris, Teen Mothers and the Revolving Welfare Door. Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1997. $ 39.95 hardcover.

The Dual Agenda: The African-American Struggle For Civil And Economic Equality. Dona Cooper Hamilton And Charles V. Hamilton.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Dona Cooper Hamilton and Charles V. Hamilton, The Dual Agenda: The African-American Struggle for Civil and Economic Equality. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. $ 24.95 hardcover.

Review Of Reflections On Violence. John Keane. Reviewed By Henry D'Souza, University Of Nebraska At Omaha., Henry D'Souza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

John Keane, Reflections on Violence. New York: Routledge, 1996. $17.95 papercover.

Resources, Deprivation And Poverty. Brian Nolan And Christopher T. Whelan.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Brian Nolan and Christopher T. Whelan. Resources, Deprivation and Poverty. New York: Clarendon Press, 1996, $ 65.00 hardcover.

Time Series Analysis Of The Implementation Of Child Support Enforcement Policies In Federal Region V States, Susan Gaffney, Sumati Dubey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the impact legislation, such as the Family Support Act of 1988, Child Support Recovery Act of 1992 and Ted Weiss Child Support Enforcement Act of 1992 had on child support enforcement in Federal Region V states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin). These pieces of legislation authorize coercive means to force noncustodial parents to meet their child support obligations. Child support is the money noncustodial parents are obligated to pay for the support of their children on a monthly basis. Child support laws have been enacted to increase the number of noncustodial parents located, paternities established, …

The Process And Implications Of Doing Qualitative Research: An Analysis Of 54 Doctoral Dissertations, Carl Brun

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The number of social work doctoral dissertations following qualitative research methods tripled in the ten year period from 1982 to 1992. The purpose of the current study was to understand the qualitative research process of 54 social work dissertations completed between 1986 and 1993. The two general reasons for following a qualitative design were the researcher's dissatisfaction with current theory to explain the studied phenomena and the desire to implement participantd riven research.M uch was written by the dissertation authors about the place of theory in qualitative research and the mutual influences between the researcher and researched. The study results …

Review Of Rethinking Abortion: Equal Choice, The Constitution And Reproductive Politics. Mark Graber. Reviewed By Margaret Severson, University Of Kansas., Margaret Severson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Mark Graber, Rethinking Abortion: Equal Choice, the Constitution and Reproductive Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. $29.95 hardcover.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 24, No. 4 (December 1997)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE BIOGRAPHY OF A SCALE: CONTEXTUAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE MEASUREMENT OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING - Ludwig Geismar
• LESSONS FROM YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY: WORK AND CUSTODIAL SERVICE AT THE COUNTY POOR FARM, 1889-1935 - Ralph Woehle
• ECO MAPS: A TOOL TO BRIDGE THE PRACTICE-RESEARCH GAP - Rena D. Harold, Lucy R. Mercier, Lisa G. Colarossi
• NEW COMMUNITARIAN THOUGHT AND THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL POLICY - John McNutt
• TIME SERIES ANALYSIS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT POLICIES IN FEDERAL REGION V STATES - Susan Gaffney, Sumati Dubey
• THE PROCESS AND IMPLICATIONS OF DOING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: AN ANALYSIS …

New Communitarian Thought And The Future Of Social Policy, John Mcnutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Communitarian thought is an emerging force in American social policy in the 1990s. Communitarians see the breakdown of community and morality as the major problem of our society. They conclude that rampant individualism is the cause of this breakdown. Communitarians propose reforms that will limit rampant individualism and restore our communities and institutions. In these proposals are threats to social justice, as well as positive elements that social workers can endorse. This paper reviews and critiques the communitarian position and suggests ways that social workers can use this new force to advance the cause of social justice.

Connecting To Communities: Transformational Leadership From Africentric And Feminist Perspectives, Joan L. Arches

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Twenty female administrators in human service agencies serving diverse ethnic communities were interviewed to provide an understanding of their struggles and leadership styles. Applying both Africentric and feminist theoretical frameworks to inform the political frame advanced in theories of transformational leadership, connecting with community and community building were strategies for providing leadership.

Review Of Queer Science: The Use And Abuse Of Research Into Homosexuality. Simon Levay. Reviewed By Carol Tully, Tulane University., Carol Tully

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Simon LeVay, Queer Science: The Use and Abuse of Research into Homosexuality. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1996, 364 pages, $25.00 hardcover.

Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization. Steven Yearley.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Steven Yearley, Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996. $ 69.95 hardcover, $ 22.95 papercover.

Search And Destroy: African American Males In The Criminal Justice System. Jerome J. Miller

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jerome J. Miller. Search and Destroy: African American Males in the Criminal Justice System. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. $ 24.95 hardcover.

The Biography Of A Scale: Contextual Factors That Influence The Measurement Of Family Functioning, Ludwig Geismar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The subject of instrument relevance is addressed by examining issues that have arisen in the use of a single scale over a forty year period. The issues revolve around the impact of varying social conditions, changing ethos, differential respondent receptiveness, and evolving research technology. Extended use of an instrument, it is argued, yields information that transcends the conventional techniques for testing instrument adequacy. The lack of opportunities in social work for accessing information on extended use of measurement tools is due, among other factors, to a preoccupation with working on subjects that are new and original and to a lack …

Lessons From Yellow Medicine County: Work And Custodial Service At The County Poor Farm, 1889-1935, Ralph Woehle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Poor farms, which spread to the Midwestern United States in the nineteenth century, were intended to provide work for their residents. Existing literature indicates that the need for work and the ability of residents to work was limited on Midwestern poor farms and that it decreased with time. In the historical case study of a rural Minnesota poor farm presented here, data support contentions of the literature. Between 1889 and 1935, the Yellow Medicine County Poor Farm expanded and modernized the house, while allowing an originally modern farming operation to stagnate. Residents who accounted for most of the occupancy were …

Eco Maps: A Tool To Bridge The Practice-Research Gap, Rena D. Harold, Lucy R. Mercier, Lisa G. Colarossi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social work profession has played host to a continuing dialogue about the interplay between research and practice. Traditionally, practitioners collect data that have real-world usefulness and are relevant to the intervention process with particular clients. Researchers, on the other hand, are skilled in designing and conducting studies that result in data that can be generalized to build the profession's foundation of knowledge. Data collection tools and techniques that are both relevant to practice and germane to knowledge-building are needed. This paper demonstrates the use of the eco map, a common practice tool, to collect and organize data about families, …

Afdc And Homicide, Lance Hannon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Conservatives generally believe that government largess has created a morally defective welfare subculture. Some argue that excessive welfare payments contribute to high homicide rates by undermining individual responsibility and attachment to traditional social institutions. Liberals, on the other hand, suggest that higher welfare benefits may reduce homicide rates by alleviating the strains of poverty and promoting educational achievement. Drawing on a review of literature and aggregate welfare data, this study examined the relationship between local AFDC benefit levels and homicide rates. Variables were derived from Department of Health and Human Services, 1990 Census, and FBI data describing social/economic areas (N=394). …

Review Of Feminism And Social Change: Bridging Theory And Practice. Heidi Gottfried (Ed.). Reviewed By Rebecca S. Carter, Louisiana State University., Rebecca S. Carter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Heidi Gottfried (Ed.), Feminism and Social Change: Bridging Theory and Practice. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1996 $ 39.95 hardcover, $14.95 papercover.

Review Of Still The Promised City?: African-Americans And New Immigrants In Postindustrial New York. Roger Waldinger. Reviewed By Charles Jaret, Georgia State University, Charles Jaret

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Roger Waldinger. Still the Promised City?: African-Americans and New Immigrants in Postindustrial New York. New York. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996. $35.00 hardcover.

Building American: The Democratic Promise Of Public Work. Harry C. Boyte And Nancy N. Kari.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harry C. Boyte and Nancy N. Kari, Building America: The Democratic Promise of Public Work. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1996. $ 54.96 hardcover, $ 18.95 papercover.

Human Capital Or Cultural Capital? George Farkas.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

George Farkas, Human Capital or Cultural Capital? New York: Aldyne de Gruyter, 1996. $ 42.95 hardcover, $ 22.95 papercover.

Escaping Poverty & Becoming Self-Sufficient, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using logistic regression analysis on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study found that sociodemographic factors were far more influential in determining escape from poverty and becoming self sufficient than social psychological factors. The number of years respondents lived in poverty was the best predictor of escaping poverty, while the number of years respondents made use of public assistance programs was the best predictor of becoming self-sufficient. Marital status and change in the number of hours worked influenced the prospect for escaping poverty, though not becoming self-sufficient. Implications regarding the changing philosophy of social welfare from income …

Successful Adaptation Of Immigrants From The Former Soviet Union To Project Renewal Neighborhoods: The Influential Factors, Haya Itzhaky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Migration has been an international phenomenon for centuries. The widespread trend toward migration in recent years has resulted in efforts to examine the factors involved in the adaptation of immigrants to life in the host country. This study examines the factors that effect immigrant adaptation and integration in urban neighborhoods in Israel that are undergoing a process of rehabilitation. Adaptation is defined by the variables: contact with neighbors, participation in community activities, sense of belonging to the community and well-being. These mediator and dependent variables were found to be directly effected by home and host related variables. These variables were …

The Legacy Of Mccarthyism On Social Group Work: An Historical Analysis, Janice Andrews, Michael Reisch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores the impact of McCarthyism on the ideology, education, practice, and public image of group work. The authors argue that the witchhunts that occured during the period and its climate of widespread fear purges and political conservatism diminished the gains the social work profession had made in the 1930s and 1940s through its participation in progressive activities and left the profession, particularly social group work ill-prepared for the issues and activism of the 1960s and 1970s.