Social Security in Britain provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the social security system in Britain. As well as covering the historical and comparative context, the book explains today's complex system in simple terms. Current issues, such as the policy debate around welfare reform and the effects of the social security system on individuals and families, are also discussed. Social science students, academics and professionals in many fields will find this book an invaluable guide.

With about one half of all marriages ending in divorce today, it is safe to say that nearly everyone will be or has been affected by divorce in some way. For many, it does not mean the end to a family. Focusing on the consequences of divorce for children, The Postdivorce Family examines the stressors that divorce can create; adjustment problems among children of divorce; the issue of resilience for children; and individual differences in the psychological adjustment to divorce. The authors also examine the parents? responsibilities after divorce, including custody issues, child support orders, and nonresidential parenting. This book concludes with a section that explores the effects of a high divorce rate in society, including how the prevalence of divorce has changed the family form and structural factors that have contributed to various social problems. With this volume, the authors hope to incite analysis and reflection of the issues surrounding divorce and their implications for public policy. This book integrates the empirical research and policy perspectives of several scholars in various disciplines including psychology, sociology, human development, law, and social work.

Evidence is mounting that animal abuse, frequently embedded in families scarred by domestic violence and child abuse and neglect, often predicts the potential for other violent acts. As early intervention is critical in the prevention and reduction of aggression, this boo encourages researchers and professionals to recognize animal abuse as significant problem and a human public-health issue that should be included as a curriculum topic in training. The book is an interdisciplinary sourcebook of original essays that examines the relations between animal maltreatment and human interpersonal violence, expands the scope of research in this growing area, and provides practical assessment and documentation strategies to help professionals confronting violence do their jobs better by attending to these connections. This book brings together, for the first time, all of the leaders in this emerging field. They examine contemporary research and programmatic issues, encourage cross-disciplinary interactions, and describe innovative programs in the field today. The book also includes vivid first-person accounts from "survivors" whose experiences included animal maltreatment among other forms of family violence.

"Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World: Micro-Estimation" represents the second stage of an ongoing research project studying the relationship between social security and labor supply. In the first volume, Jonathan Gruber and David A. Wise revealed enormous disincentives to continued work at older ages in developed countries. Provisions in many social security programs were shown to encourage retirement by reducing total compensation for work, thereby inducing older employees to leave the labor force early, magnifying the financial burden caused by population aging. At a certain age there simply is little financial benefit to continued work in many countries.
In this volume, Jonathan Gruber and David A. Wise turn to a country-by-country analysis of retirement behavior based on micro-data. The result of research compiled by teams in twelve countries, the papers in this volume show a strong relationship between levels of social security incentives and retirement behavior in each country. Further, the estimates show that the effect is strikingly uniform in countries with very different cultural histories, labor market institutions, and other social characteristics.
The key advantage of the micro-estimation approach of this volume is that in each country the effects on retirement of changes in social security provisions can be predicted. To demonstrate the effects of such changes, each of the papers here includes simulations of the effects of two illustrative reforms. One illustrative reform delays the benefit eligibility ages in each of the countries. A second illustrative reform assumes common provisions in each of the countries-reducing retirement incentives insome countries and increasing incentives in others.
Utilizing the best methods, the conclusions to be drawn from "Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World: Micro-Estimation" will provide economists with the freshest and most provoking research yet in the ongoing debate regarding social security.

The first edition of this book was also the first volume in the Issues in Children's and Families' Lives book series. Like the others in the series, this volume is devoted to issues affecting children and their families. The decision to devote the first volume to family violence was made because it was recognized that violence remains one of the major factors undermining the quality of family life, especially for women and children. It can be acknowledged that there has been some progress in the areas of social policy and clinical practice and yet the number of individuals and families affected by violence is still at an alarming level. The chapters in this second edition testify to the ongoing expansion of knowledge in the field of family and intimate violence. They attempt to summarize some of the best of current scholarship conducted by family violence researchers. Several chapters address issues of prevention, treatment, and intervention services. The contributors are all leaders in the field and reflect a variety of disciplines and different approaches. The diverse perspectives brought to bear on the subject by professionals from a range of disciplines add to the richness of this volume.

The first edition of this book was also the first volume in the Issues in Children?s and Families? Lives book series. Like the others in the series, this volume is devoted to issues affecting children and their families. The decision to devote the first volume to family violence was made because it was recognized that violence remains one of the major factors undermining the quality of family life, especially for women and children. It can be acknowledged that there has been some progress in the areas of social policy and clinical practice and yet the number of individuals and families affected by violence is still at an alarming level. The chapters in this second edition testify to the ongoing expansion of knowledge in the field of family and intimate violence. They attempt to summarize some of the best of current scholarship conducted by family violence researchers. Several chapters address issues of prevention, treatment, and intervention services. The contributors are all leaders in the field and reflect a variety of disciplines and different approaches. The diverse perspectives brought to bear on the subject by professionals from a range of disciplines add to the richness of this volume.

"This well-written book skillfully introduces the readers to the history of family problem solving. The range and quality of content in the book is vast and comprehensive. Strength lies within the detailed review of the literature. Readers seeking a wealth of information in a single volume may find this text a useful educational and research tool. Given the book's readability, it is recommended for upper-level seminars. It would be appropriate as a supplemental or required graduate-level text in courses from multiple disciplines that deal with family problems. The text is thought provoking, and it may be a useful resource for researchers, students, educators, and practitioners working with families." --Journal of Marriage and the Family "This exploration of problem solving is useful to a variety of audiences who work with and conduct research related to families... It offers practical applications of family problem solving as well as recent advances in and future considerations of research this field." --America's Family Support Magazine Family problems can range from mild conflicts to pathological issues. In recent years it has become apparent that an understanding of family conflict is impossible without more knowledge about a fundamental characteristic of families-family problem solving. The various methods and tools, both effective and ineffective, that families use to solve their problems is an ongoing subject of research and clinical work that involves many disciplines, including clinical psychology, sociology, family therapy, developmental psychology, communications, and social psychology. These vastly different perspectives and approaches emerging from this research have resulted in a diverse body of knowledge that has yet to be integrated and synthesized. In Family Problem Solving, author Samuel Vuchinich pulls this research together in one comprehensive volume that is written in an accessible and engaging style. Elucidating the core principles that have developed from these various fields, Family Problem Solving explores family conflicts, the nature of family problems, problems across the life cycle, and social constructions. This volume also includes applications of family problem solving as well as recent advances in and future considerations of this field. This book will provide a useful resource for professionals and students in family studies, developmental psychology, sociology of the family, and family psychology.

Combining academic housing specialists, researchers for non-profit housing organizations, and housing practitioners, this collection emanated from a Fannie Mae Office of Housing Research roundtable series led by Belden and Wiener. It explores decent and affordable shelter in rural areas, an often-overlooked issue in housing policy. Rural poor and their housing conditions are not widely discussed or examined within professional literature because most housing policymakers, administrators, researchers, and advocates live in cities and take an urban-centric view, what some rural critics have called "metropolyanna." Following an introductory chapter which defines "rural" and describes the state of rural housing and poverty in the United States, chapters cover a broad spectrum of housing need, innovative strategies, and practitioners' approaches in rural America. Contributors examine current conditions of rural housing, look at some solutions to problems associated with rural housing, and suggest innovations for the future.

The problems of substance abuse affect not only the abuser but the people involved in his or her life. Family members and significant others often confront therapists, requesting recommendations on how they can contribute to the abusers recovery. The traditional attitude of therapists has been that the substance abuser cannot be helped until he or she is motivated. Therefore, significant others have typically been given little advice or guidance. Family Recovery offers clinicians a structured, research-based approach to working with significant others involved with substance abusers. Unilateral family therapy offers methods for therapists to improve the well-being of concerned significant others of substance abusers and to teach them how to restructure their relationship to the abuser in ways that may enhance the substance abuser's motivation to change. Family Recovery will be useful to both experienced clinicians and those who are training to be clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, family therapists, and substance abuse counselors.

Stress, Coping, and Health in Families: Sense of Coherence and Resiliency, the first volume in the new Resiliency in Families series, has an unusual sociological focus. Rather than focusing on pathology, the authors of this volume study individuals, families, and ethnic groups moving toward health. In Part I, scholar Aaron Antonovsky's landmark work in salutogenesis lays the foundation for a new approach to family studies. His work provides insight as to why some families manage life events with relative ease and recover from adversity with renewed strength, harmony, and purpose. Health is redefined, not as a static norm, but as a process of coping with a myriad of external stress factors. Part II examines how culture and family influence the creation and maintenance of the sense of coherence, which seems to be key in promoting health and well-being. It draws on studies of families facing serious illness, single parenthood, homelessness, or culture shock.

The sense of coherence is also vital to the study of aging and immunology: Parts III and IV examine those links and their wide-ranging implications. This book will appeal to social workers, clinical practitioners, and scholars in ethnic studies, family studies, sociology, counseling, and psychology.

Stress, Coping, and Health in Families: Sense of Coherence and Resiliency, the first volume in the new Resiliency in Families series, has an unusual sociological focus. Rather than focusing on pathology, the authors of this volume study individuals, families, and ethnic groups moving toward health. In Part I, scholar Aaron Antonovsky's landmark work in salutogenesis lays the foundation for a new approach to family studies. His work provides insight as to why some families manage life events with relative ease and recover from adversity with renewed strength, harmony, and purpose. Health is redefined, not as a static norm, but as a process of coping with a myriad of external stress factors. Part II examines how culture and family influence the creation and maintenance of the sense of coherence, which seems to be key in promoting health and well-being. It draws on studies of families facing serious illness, single parenthood, homelessness, or culture shock.

The sense of coherence is also vital to the study of aging and immunology: Parts III and IV examine those links and their wide-ranging implications. This book will appeal to social workers, clinical practitioners, and scholars in ethnic studies, family studies, sociology, counseling, and psychology.

The New Deal was not the same deal for men and women a finding strikingly demonstrated in Dividing Citizens. Rich with implications for current debates over citizenship and welfare policy, this book provides a detailed historical account of how governing institutions and public policies shape social status and civic life. In her examination of the impact of New Deal social and labor policies on the organization and character of American citizenship, Suzanne Mettler offers an incisive analysis of the formation and implementation of the pillars of the modern welfare state: the Social Security Act, including Old Age and Survivors' Insurance, Old Age Assistance, Unemployment Insurance, and Aid to Dependent Children (later known simply as "welfare"), as well as the Fair Labor Standards Act, which guaranteed the minimum wage.

Mettler draws on the methods of historical-institutionalists to develop a "structured governance" approach to her analysis of the New Deal. She shows how the new welfare state institutionalized gender politically, most clearly by incorporating men, particularly white men, into nationally administered policies and consigning women to more variable state-run programs. Differential incorporation of citizens, in turn, prompted different types of participation in politics. These gender-specific consequences were the outcome of a complex interplay of institutional dynamics, political imperatives, and the unintended consequences of policy implementation actions. By tracing the subtle and complicated political dynamics that emerged with New Deal policies, Mettler sounds a cautionary note as we once again negotiate the bounds of American federalism and public policy."

That a country of wealth cannot provide sound housing for those in need is a national embarrassment. This book is about the design of dignified, affordable housing for those not served by the private sector, and how that housing fits comfortably into American communities. It is a non-technical analysis for everyone interested in the creation of affordable housing. Through discussions of cost, politics, and design concepts, as well as case studies of completed projects, it gives solutions to the dilemmas posed by the development process. Good housing design is a delicate balance of community values, individual needs, aesthetic judgements and technical requirements. Good design can save money - 70 per cent of the cost of a new dwelling is affected by planning and design. As a key ingredient in community building, housing should bestow on its inhabitants a sense of dignity, says Davis. To view this as a privilege for those who can afford market-rate housing invites both social and financial disaster. He also considers the American obsession with the single-family house and the historical ambivalence toward subsidized housing-attitudes that have often led to the stigmatization of low-income gr

The United Kingdom is now at a crossroads in terms of its housing policies. Homes remain costly and in short supply, and there is a growing issue of disrepair. At the same time, the resources made available from government have been reduced.

Directions in Housing Policy provides a clear and authoritative examination of housing policy, its past, the present situation and future policies. The authors provide expert analysis and commentary on key housing issues and set out an agenda for future policy in the 21st century.

To learn more about Rowman & Littlefield titles please visit us at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.

I commend this book to you and urge you not only to read about the excellent programs contained herein but also to work to bring these and other high quality prevention programs into your community. Share this information with your elected officials, business leaders, parent groups, and anyone who holds a stake in your community's well-being. With so many pressing problems confronting children and families in America, we must act now to begin to reduce the tragedy of needlessly wasted lives. --from the Preface by Rosalynn Carter Although mental disorders cost our nation $72.7 billion each year in treatment, related support, and lost productivity, the funding for prevention of mental disorders has been inconsistent, due in some part to a lack of confidence regarding the effectiveness of specific prevention programs. This book highlights some of the most effective prevention programs in the United States and offers readers a common set of principles to reduce maladaptive behavior in ourselves, our children, and society. Divided into five parts, the book begins with an overview of prevention history in this country and next shows ways to operationalize George W. Albee's incidence formula. Part 2 focuses on successful programs that increase parent-child interaction and parenting ability. Part 3 explores preschool programs, some of which use parents as teachers, others of which describe quality child care programming and programs that develop problem-solving abilities in early childhood. Part 4 examines school-age programs ranging from interventions in school settings to developing social competency and job readiness. And, Part 5 focuses on prevention interventions in adulthood, specifically unemployment and depression. With contributions form the leading researchers in the prevention field, this book provides readers with the best information available about effective prevention programs and the knowledge to develop these preventive services at both state and local community levels. Primary Prevention Works will be of interest to policymakers and to researchers and practitioners in developmental psychology, clinical psychology, family studies, social work, counseling, human services, nursing, and public health.

"I commend this book to you and urge you not only to read about the excellent programs contained herein but also to work to bring these and other high quality prevention programs into your community. Share this information with your elected officials, business leaders, parent groups, and anyone who holds a stake in your community's well-being. With so many pressing problems confronting children and families in America, we must act now to begin to reduce the tragedy of needlessly wasted lives." --from the Preface by Rosalynn Carter Although mental disorders cost our nation $72.7 billion each year in treatment, related support, and lost productivity, the funding for prevention of mental disorders has been inconsistent, due in some part to a lack of confidence regarding the effectiveness of specific prevention programs. This book highlights some of the most effective prevention programs in the United States and offers readers a common set of principles to reduce maladaptive behavior in ourselves, our children, and society. Divided into five parts, the book begins with an overview of prevention history in this country and next shows ways to operationalize George W. Albee's incidence formula. Part 2 focuses on successful programs that increase parent-child interaction and parenting ability. Part 3 explores preschool programs, some of which use parents as teachers, others of which describe quality child care programming and programs that develop problem-solving abilities in early childhood. Part 4 examines school-age programs ranging from interventions in school settings to developing social competency and job readiness. And, Part 5 focuses on prevention interventions in adulthood, specifically unemployment and depression. With contributions form the leading researchers in the prevention field, this book provides readers with the best information available about effective prevention programs and the knowledge to develop these preventive services at both state and local community levels. Primary Prevention Works will be of interest to policymakers and to researchers and practitioners in developmental psychology, clinical psychology, family studies, social work, counseling, human services, nursing, and public health.

Social security has proven to be one of the most successful programs in the United States. No other program has done more to transform old age or to protect family incomes against economic risks arising from the disability or death of a working family member. Polls consistently show strong support for Social Security, but these same polls also show that the public, especially the young, is skeptical about whether Social Security will be able to meet its obligations. The program's harshest opponents call it a "Ponzi scheme." Arguing that the young will be left "holding the bag," they call for a shift towards greater personal savings or means-testing. Experts agree that the aging of the baby boom, longer life expectancies, and a changing economy will impose new challenges. But seeing no impending disaster, they point to reforms that leave intact basic Social Security commitments and structure. Not surprisingly, the public is confused and has many unanswered questions.
Social Security in the 21st Century offers an introduction to the basic economic, demographic, and political aspects of social security, and addresses the questions most often asked regarding this subject. Featuring nationally recognized experts, the book presents clear, authoritative, and balanced discussions of contemporary Social Security issues, offering the historical background, concepts, statistics, and options necessary to make informed judgments about the program. These issues include the program's financial viability, its effects on the economy and the federal deficit, its consonance with American values, the adequacy of benefits for today's and tomorrow's old, its fairness to women and the young, disabilityreform and generational equity. It explains both the social insurance principles and political history related to the development of Social Security in the United States. The book avoids using technical jargon, making it ideal for a wide ranging audience including policymakers, teachers, journalists, students, and the general public. Special attention is given to the future and how Social Security can be changed to respond to the needs of generations to come.

Bringing together the thoughts of leading academics and practitioners, Affordable Housing and Urban Redevelopment in the United States explores the lessons that can be drawn from the U.S. experience in providing affordable housing. This unique volume reviews recent developments in the United States regarding the provision of low-cost housing--in particular, the changing role of the federal government, greater responsibility of state and local government, increasing joint venture projects, innovative finance mechanisms, and the operation of the nonprofit sector. Contributors explore success stories and then identify common themes while highlighting salient questions. The volume's conclusion weaves together the strands developed in the individual case studies, examines criteria that define success, and considers opportunities for developing more effective policies and programs. Contributors follow a common format that makes this important volume easy to read and unique for practitioners and academics in urban studies, political science, and urban planning. "America's housing crisis is getting worse, but most politicians, journalists, and business leaders pay little attention to housing policy or take cheap shots at existing housing programs. This book not only helps explain why housing policy is not high on the national agenda but also offers some hope for new directions. These original, thoughtful articles help explain the fix we're in and how to fix it. This book should be on the shelf of every housing activist, urban planner, and policy specialist."

The innovative character of the battered women's movement is evident in countries around the world. Providing an integrated and balanced view of the many facets of this international problem, Future Interventions with Battered Women and Their Families critically examines the progress made and assesses the strategies for the future. This much-needed volume addresses the surge of efforts in the battered women's movement while challenging the reader to reflect, assimilate, and take action. An outstanding group of experts from around the globe studies important features of the movement, including --the way in which different societies define the problem --global organizing efforts to end violence against women --innovative strategies to organize informal social networks --new interventions to assist victims/survivors, perpetrators, and their children --practice research that informs intervention Future Interventions with Battered Women and Their Families provides diverse perspectives and directions for the movement that will influence a wide range of professionals serving battered women and their families, including medical and mental health professionals, battered women's advocates, legal and law enforcement professionals, policymakers, and students in social work, psychology, counseling psychology, and women's studies.

Help teens who are at risk of experiencing or perpetuating abuse with The Youth Relationships Manual. Designed to build strengths, resilience, and coping, this manual, field-tested with the Youth Relationships Project, presents proactive, competency-building approaches to promoting nonviolent relationships and preventing cycles of violence. Based on the premise that the best window of opportunity for developing healthy relationships is in adolescence, the model guides teens to positive roles in dating, peer interactions, and interpersonal style. David A. Wolfe and his associates detail a carefully developed and tested curriculum for an 18-session group training program that includes three principal sections: informational, skills building, and social action learning opportunities. As a part of the program, teens learn new communication and conflict resolution skills and practice those skills by going out into the community to solve a hypothetical problem situation. Innovative and easy to follow, The Youth Relationships Manual provides mental health professionals, school counselors and administrators, community agency workers and administrators, and students in the helping professions with a vital tool for helping teens at risk develop healthy relationships.

Recent reports predict that, barring any changes, the Social Security program will become insolvent--no longer able to pay promised benefits in full--around the year 2030, well within the retirement years of the baby boom generation. They also predict that the trust fund will stop being a net contributor and become instead a net claimant on the federal budget in the year 2013--much earlier than previously thought. With the world population aging, the increasing number of dependent senior citizens in all countries will become a major public policy issue that will have to be addressed continually over the next fifty years.

Social Security: What Role for the Future? takes a fresh look at the questions essential to understanding the future of old-age protection under Social Security. Experts in economics, actuarial science, and public policy examine such front-burner issues as the effects that variables such as mortality, births, inflation, wage levels, and pension benefits will have on the income of future retirees; the implications and effects of alternative levels of funding and financing on Social Security; and the prospects for publicly and privately financed income programs. The authors conclude with an examination of social security programs around the world and pose critical questions about the future direction of Social Security in the United States--questions that Congress and the American public will have to address in the coming years.

The contributors include Robert H. Binstock, Barry P. Bosworth, Robert Brown, Gary Burtless, David M. Cutler, Jagadeesh Gokhale, Edward Gramlich, Stephen Goss, Robert Hagemann, Dalmer Hoskins, Estelle James, Diane Macunovich, David Mullins, Alicia H. Munnell, Robert J. Myers, Martha Phillips, Sylvester Schieber, Margaret Simms, C. Eugene Steuerle, and Carolyn Weaver.

Copublished with the National Academy of Social Insurance

This remarkably ambitious work relates changes in scientific and medical thought during the Scientific Revolution (circa 1500-1700) to the emergence of new principles and practices for interpreting language, texts, and nature. An invaluable history of ideas about the nature of language during this period, The Word of God and the Languages of Man also explores the wider cultural origins and impact of these ideas. Its broad and deeply complex picture of a profound sociocultural and intellectual transformation will alter our definition of the scientific revolution. James J. Bono shows how the new interpretive principles and scientific practices of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries evolved in response to new views of the relationship between the "Word of God" and the "Languages of Man" fostered by Renaissance Humanism, Neoplatonism, magic, and both the reformed and radical branches of Protestantism. He traces the cultural consequences of these ideas in the thought and work of major and minor actors in the scientific revolution--from Ficino and Paracelsus to Francis Bacon and Descartes. By considering these natural philosophers in light of their own intellectual, religious, philosophical, cultural, linguistic, and especially narrative frameworks, Bono suggests a new way of viewing the sociocultural dynamics of scientific change in the pre-modern period--and ultimately, a new way of understanding the nature and history of scientific thought. The narrative configuration he proposes provides a powerful alternative to the longstanding "revolutionary" metaphor of the history of the scientific revolution.

With poverty, unemployment, and one-parent families on the rise in most Western democracies, government assistance presents an increasingly urgent and complex problem. This is the first study to explore Canada's family policies in an international context. Maureen Baker looks at the successes and failures of social programs in other countries in search of solutions that might work in Canada.

Baker has chosen seven industrialized countries for her comparative study: Australia, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries experience social and economic strains similar to those felt in Canada, and though they share certain policy solutions, major differences in policy remain. Baker considers which of the policies in these countries are most effective in reducing poverty, enhancing family life, and improving the status of women, then applies her findings to the Canadian situation.

Bringing together research and statistics from the fields of demography, political science, economics, sociology, women's studies, and social policy, this rich, multidisciplinary study provides a unique resource for anyone interested in Canadian family policy.

Today women find themselves playing an ever-increasing role in caring for older family members who are frail, developmentally disabled, or suffering from serious mental illness. While this has role of women as caregivers has been documented, the actual impact on the lives of women has remained largely unstudied. In this volume, the authors examine caregiving as a central feminist issue, looking at its impact on women socially, personally, and economically. The authors review how changing family structures, the changing economy and workforce, and the changing health care demands of needy adults have impacted on women's lives. They critique existing public and private policies, demonstrating a need for fundamental structural changes in social institutions and attitudes to improve the lives of women. Finally, they propose a social model of care that is oriented toward gender justice--recognition of the work of caring and its impact upon women socially, personally, and economically. For students, scholars and practitioners in the field of gerontology, gender studies, and social work, this book is a must.