American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach

by Howard Jacob Karger, David Stoesz

American Social Welfare Policy uses a policy analysis framework to examine national and international social welfare policy. The pluralist approach gives you the background you need to understand core social welfare concepts, grasp the social, political, and economic forces impacting social welfare policy, and analyze the major programs that make up the U.S. welfare state.

The 9th Edition features a new chapter on education and social policy. Extensive updates throughout the text explore the effects of recent domestic and international events on social welfare policy. Every chapter includes new discussions on the impact of the Trump administration on social welfare policy. New coverage explores the impacts of COVID-19, recent developments in Biden's stimulus packages and environmental policy, the rise in extremist groups, the reinstatement of transgender rights in the military, the Me Too movement, and the increased divisiveness in American society.

Genres: Social Work, Textbooks, School, Nonfiction, Grad School

480 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1993

Reviews

[Kelly Reinhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did a good job of explaining the history of policies in the United States, including a wide variety of topics/social issues. It also did a good job of explaining how to analyse policies. Overall, decent book for understanding policy and for a course text.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly, this book is biased towards the liberal/left perspective, but it does give a great summary of Social Welfare policy in the U.S. and is one textbook that I think all U.S.-based social workers should read. I also think all social workers should be active policy advocates, and should therefore be informed about the history and current state of social welfare policies and practices. That's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it.

[Hope McCormick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of tone and opinion, but still very informative.

[Zoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Onerous presentation of fascinating material.