Social Policy and Change in East Asia is a collection of essays from a group of indigenous East Asian social policy researchers who met bi-annually to discuss social development issues. The book s focus is the policy responses of respective East Asian government since the 2008 financial tsunami struck the region. Together, the essays in Social Policy and Change in East Asia argue that traditional social policy approach has failed to account for the problem of economic volatility and to devise policy measures that can promote long-term stability. Avoiding a static and Eurocentric approach, the authors of this book seek to unravel the meaning of the social development approach in various policy contexts. This book supports a dynamic understanding of social policy formulation that does not neglect the problem of economic turbulence in policy and planning.

Christopher Deeming and Paul Smyth together with internationally renowned contributors propose that the merging of the 'social investment' and 'inclusive growth and development' agendas is forging an unprecedented global social policy framework. The book shows how these key ideas together with the environmental imperative of 'sustainability' are shaping a new global development agenda. This framework opens the way to a truly global social policy discipline making it essential reading for those working in social and public policy, politics, economics and development as well geographical and environmental sciences. In the spirit of the UN's Sustainability Goals, the book will assist all those seeking to forge a new policy consensus for the 21st century based on Social Investment for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development. Contributors include Giuliano Bonoli, Marius Busemeyer, Sarah Cook, Guillem Lopez-Casasnovas, Anton Hemerijck, Stephan Klasen, Huck-ju Kwon, Tim Jackson, Jane Jenson, Jon Kvist, James Midgley, and Gunther Schmid.

Social security systems throughout the world are faced with unprecedented challenges in response to growing criticisms about unacceptable expenditures for government programs and questions about the appropriate role of government in providing social protection through social insurance and social assistance programs. The challenges are also a result of dramatic demographic, social, and cultural changes around the world. A variety of radical and modest reform measures are currently being discussed which have the potential of significantly impacting the means of income and health care for the elderly, children, and families.

This book examines these challenges from the perspective of local analysts in both industrial and economically developing nations. The purpose of the analysis is to promote a better understanding of the integral role that social security plays in the social and economic development of diverse societies. The chapters examine the wide range of challenges to social security in Britain, Egypt and Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. An overview of the most prevalent issues are discussed, including fiscal viability, economic development, equity, administration, public confidence, and the role of social security as the primary government instrument for social protection against the loss of income and health. Essential reading for students and researchers in social policy, gerontology, and comparative social welfare.

Learn what you can do to promote social policy initiatives that really work International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy presents the latest available research on the various interpretations of welfare-to-work in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong, and on the role social work plays in creating and implementing social welfare policies. Preeminent social work scholars from around the world address the changing nature of social work policy and practice, as welfare recipients are required to work in order to receive benefits. This invaluable book examines issues of importance to practitioners and policymakers, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), child welfare, learning disabilities, work and direct payments, Intensive Employment Assistance Projects (IEAPs), and social inclusion. At a time when many governments in the industrial world are reducing social expenditures and privatizing social programs, International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy encourages the social work profession to be more actively involved in lobbying for social and economic policies that promote social investments, maximize opportunities, foster productive employment, ensure a decent standard of living, and make it easier for everyone to be involved in the economic, political, cultural, and social lives of their communities. The book addresses crucial issues that were raised by its contributors in 2005 at an international symposium organized by the University of California, Berkeley's School of Social Welfare, including key policy and practice concerns for social work professionals. International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy examines: the abolition of the Aid to Families with Dependant Children program (AFDC) in the United States the implementation of coordinated service delivery models in California the development of a diversion program that provides a lump sum of cash to alleviate short-term emergencies the effects of welfare-to-work programs on single parents in the United Kingdom the new deal offered by social inclusion in mental health policy the role of income support in dealing with learning disabilities the role of Australian social workers in two agenciesthe Job Network and CentreLink the development of a program in Hong Kong that helps beneficiaries of means-tested unemployment benefits find work International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy is an important resource for social policy educators and students working in social work, sociology, and political science.

Grassroots Social Security in Asia investigates the role of mutual associations in providing income protection to low-income people in Asia and in particular the region's developing countries. Historically, these associations have consisted of small groups of people with common interests who save regularly to support, maintain and supplement their incomes. Members make regular contributions to a communal fund which is used to provide income protection when they experience financial hardship. This book is the first to comprehensively document the activities of mutual associations and their microinsurance programs in Asia where these programs are especially well developed. It provides a number of important case studies that provide detailed information about mutual associations in different parts of the region, covering South Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The case studies offer important insights into the potential of mutual associations to offer effective income protection and how their activities can contribute to the formulation of comprehensive and effective grassroots social security strategies in the developing world that make a tangible contribution to the goal of poverty eradication and the improvement of standards of living. This book will be of interest to policy makers, academics and students in the fields of Asian studies, Social security studies and development studies.

This book looks at the role of social policy and particularly social security in addressing the ongoing challenge of poverty in East Asia despite the region s spectacular experience of economic growth in decent decades. The East Asian miracle resulted over the last four decades in a transformation of the region s traditional agrarian economies and significant increases in standards of living for many ordinary people. Even though it was given little attention, poverty has remained an ongoing problem. The problem became particularly evident however with the Asian financial crisis of 1997 when many low income and middle class workers became unemployed. As a result of this crisis, the need for effective social policies and social security programs were recognized. The idea that economic growth would solve the problem of poverty was increasingly challenged. Even in China today, where rapid growth has created new employment opportunities and the promise of prosperity for many, the government has recognized that the problem of poverty cannot be addressed only through economic growth but that comprehensive social policies must be formulated, and this includes the development of an effective security system.

Grassroots Social Security in Asia investigates the role of mutual associations in providing income protection to low-income people in Asia and in particular the region's developing countries. Historically, these associations have consisted of small groups of people with common interests who save regularly to support, maintain and supplement their incomes. Members make regular contributions to a communal fund which is used to provide income protection when they experience financial hardship. This book is the first to comprehensively document the activities of mutual associations and their microinsurance programs in Asia where these programs are especially well developed. It provides a number of important case studies that provide detailed information about mutual associations in different parts of the region, covering South Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The case studies offer important insights into the potential of mutual associations to offer effective income protection and how their activities can contribute to the formulation of comprehensive and effective grassroots social security strategies in the developing world that make a tangible contribution to the goal of poverty eradication and the improvement of standards of living. This book will be of interest to policy makers, academics and students in the fields of Asian studies, Social security studies and development studies. Mitsuhiko Hosaka is Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of International Social Development, Nihon Fukushi University in Japan James Midgley is the Harry and Riva Specht Professor of Public Social Services at the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, USA

This book looks at the role of social policy and particularly social security in addressing the ongoing challenge of poverty in East Asia despite the region's spectacular experience of economic growth in decent decades. The East Asian miracle resulted over the last four decades in a transformation of the region's traditional agrarian economies and significant increases in standards of living for many ordinary people. Even though it was given little attention, poverty has remained an ongoing problem. The problem became particularly evident however with the Asian financial crisis of 1997 when many low income and middle class workers became unemployed. As a result of this crisis, the need for effective social policies and social security programs were recognized. The idea that economic growth would solve the problem of poverty was increasingly challenged. Even in China today, where rapid growth has created new employment opportunities and the promise of prosperity for many, the government has recognized that the problem of poverty cannot be addressed only through economic growth but that comprehensive social policies must be formulated, and this includes the development of an effective security system.

Few days pass without front page newspaper articles about the disarray in the American social security system and the oncoming crisis of exploding costs and imbalance between workers and retirees. New proposals to address these issues constantly surface from presidential candidates, Congress, and interest groups. Yet, few recognize that in the second half of the twentieth century, there has been a global expansion of social security systems, and there may be lessons to be learned from other societies. This collection of essays is designed to examine the diverse approaches developed in Australia, Britain, Chile, Hong Kong, Kenya, and Singapore. By analyzing different approaches--and different degrees of success--those debating public policy may find alternatives that can be adapted to meet American social needs.

Midgley and Sherraden have drawn together experts on the systems developed in Australia, Britain, Chile, Hong Kong, Kenya, and Singapore; they explore the different approaches--and the different degrees of success--these societies have confronted. An international perspective can enhance understanding of the problems and offer a sound basis for evaluating policy proposals that may reform the social security system. Scholars, researchers, policymakers, and the reading public will find this a stimulating collection. As Senator John Breaux notes, This book is essential reading for anyone serious about addressing the inevitable problems that will face the U.S. Social Security system.

This book provides insights into the way social protection policy is being redefined as a result of the new commitment by governments around the world to use these programs to reduce poverty. The case studies presented show how innovations in social protection have emerged in different countries. They also discuss various aspects of social protection that will be of interest to readers. While some of the case studies are primarily descriptive and seek to document recent trends in different countries, they also address important social policy issues. Others are particularly topical because they provide useful updates on recent social protection innovations. Countries discussed include Brazil, Britain, Chile, China, Indonesia, South Africa, and the United States. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Policy Practice.

Available in paperback for the first time, this milestone work offers an in-depth treatment of all aspects of the discipline and practice of social policy globally. Supported by a distinguished international advisory board, the editors have compiled almost 900,000 words across 734 entries written by 284 leading specialists to provide authoritative coverage of concepts, policy actors, welfare institutions and services along a series of national, regional and transnational dimensions. Also included are biographical entries on major policy makers and shapers. The editors have particularly striven to provide strong coverage of differing geographical and cultural traditions so that the variety of social policy, as both an academic discipline and a domain of governance, is reflected. Contributors draw in and make the necessary connections with social policy's associated disciplines to provide a rich picture of this vast and highly diverse field. Comprehensive and authoritative, the Encyclopedia has sought to open up rather than to foreclose the numerous areas in which there is on-going research, debate and, sometimes, serious disagreement and divergence in theory and practice. To this end, entries attempt to introduce a core or common ground of understanding before moving on to a wider discussion of debates regarding different conceptual and geographical approaches. The whole is integrated by cross-referencing and each entry includes a bibliography for further reading. There is a full index. The International Encyclopedia of Social Policy provides the most substantial mapping of the international study and practice of social policy to date and will stand as a vital storehouse of knowledge for many years to come.

Learn what you can do to promote social policy initiatives that really work International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy presents the latest available research on the various interpretations of welfare-to-work in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong, and on the role social work plays in creating and implementing social welfare policies. Preeminent social work scholars from around the world address the changing nature of social work policy and practice, as welfare recipients are required to work in order to receive benefits. This invaluable book examines issues of importance to practitioners and policymakers, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), child welfare, learning disabilities, work and direct payments, Intensive Employment Assistance Projects (IEAPs), and social inclusion. At a time when many governments in the industrial world are reducing social expenditures and privatizing social programs, International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy encourages the social work profession to be more actively involved in lobbying for social and economic policies that promote social investments, maximize opportunities, foster productive employment, ensure a decent standard of living, and make it easier for everyone to be involved in the economic, political, cultural, and social lives of their communities. The book addresses crucial issues that were raised by its contributors in 2005 at an international symposium organized by the University of California, Berkeley's School of Social Welfare, including key policy and practice concerns for social work professionals. International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy examines: the abolition of the Aid to Families with Dependant Children program (AFDC) in the United States the implementation of coordinated service delivery models in California the development of a diversion program that provides a lump sum of cash to alleviate short-term emergencies the effects of welfare-to-work programs on single parents in the United Kingdom the new deal offered by social inclusion in mental health policy the role of income support in dealing with learning disabilities the role of Australian social workers in two agenciesthe Job Network and CentreLink the development of a program in Hong Kong that helps beneficiaries of means-tested unemployment benefits find work International Perspectives on Welfare to Work Policy is an important resource for social policy educators and students working in social work, sociology, and political science.

This book invites readers to think about future directions in social development. The book succinctly presents the historical context and progress of social development. By reflecting on the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals, it discusses the increasing global relevance of several critical themes and issues such as human rights and good governance, participation, peace, gender, environment, religion and spirituality, aging, social protection and partnership. It appreciates the importance of goals and targets, but calls to look beyond them to visualise future directions in social development. The book argues that values-driven social development needs to focus on knowledge creation, dissemination and training, draw on multidisciplinary knowledge and professionals, promote conscientious consumption, create less unequal societies and engage in innovation that brings happiness to everyone.

Social workers have been involved in social development for many years, but it is only recently that these ideas have been explicitly applied to social work practice. The result is that a new and distinctive approach to social work practice known as developmental social work has emerged. Developmental social work emphasizes the role of social investment in professional practice. These investments meet the material needs of social work's clients and facilitate their full integration into the social and economic life of the community. Developmental social workers believe that client strengths and capabilities need to be augmented with public resources and services if those served by the profession are to live productive and fulfilling lives. Although developmental social work is inspired by international innovations, particularly in the developing countries, it highly relevant to practice in the United States and other Western nations.
In the first book to lay out a clear framework for developmental social work practice, chapters will focus on the traditional fields of social work practice, showing how social investment strategies can be adopted by social workers in their daily practice with populations including families and children, people with mental illness, homeless youth, people with disabilities, the elderly, and those in the correctional system. By facilitating clients' full social and economic participation through a variety of strategies, such as microenterprise or asset-building programs, practitioners can help bring about meaningful changes in clients' lives and throughout their communities.
The editors and contributors offer a highly original exposition of developmental social work theory and practice, providing a definitive guide to an emerging and exciting new approach to practice.

Christopher Deeming and Paul Smyth together with internationally renowned contributors propose that the merging of the 'social investment' and 'inclusive growth and development' agendas is forging an unprecedented global social policy framework. The book shows how these key ideas together with the environmental imperative of 'sustainability' are shaping a new global development agenda. This framework opens the way to a truly global social policy discipline making it essential reading for those working in social and public policy, politics, economics and development as well geographical and environmental sciences. In the spirit of the UN's Sustainability Goals, the book will assist all those seeking to forge a new policy consensus for the 21st century based on Social Investment for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development. Contributors include Giuliano Bonoli, Marius Busemeyer, Sarah Cook, Guillem Lopez-Casasnovas, Anton Hemerijck, Stephan Klasen, Huck-ju Kwon, Tim Jackson, Jane Jenson, Jon Kvist, James Midgley, and Gunther Schmid.

Have you ever felt like an alien? Have you ever wondered if things in your life weren't quite as you thought they were? That maybe things around you weren't quite as they seem? That a hidden plot may be unravelling around you, right before your very eyes... "Billy was an alien. Only thing was, he had no idea." Billy Morken sets out on a typical Saturday morning to get coffee, hoping to have a quiet weekend alone with his attractive but highly demanding girlfriend Sally. After an engagement threatens the quiet, Billy begins to have serious doubts about his life; circumstances becoming increasingly out of his control. As events throw him together with an old friend and strange new ones, will he be able to accept the reality of who he really is...

This much-needed textbook fulfils a major gap in providing a complete up-to-date guide and introduction to the increasingly important role of social policy in the context of development processes and practice.

Across a number of key sectors and areas of social policy concern, the authors accessibly introduce and explain the main conceptual debates, the most recent policy discussions, and provide applied examples to illustrate the latest developments in the social policy and planning field. Central topics covered include:

- poverty

- rural development

- urban development

- education

- health

- social work

- social welfare

- international development and cooperation.

Social Policy for Development is an essential text for all students and practitioners alike seeking a deeper understanding of the issues of poverty, social exclusion and deprivation across social policy and development studies internationally.