James Midgley

Issues in International Social Work Resolving Critical Debates in the Profession

Summary: A review of the theoretical construction of international social work. Findings: Although social workers are now more frequently engaged in international activities than ever before, they remain divided on a number of critical issues. These include the definition of international social work; the nature and impact of globalization on social work; the proper role of remedial, activist and developmental practice; and finally the place of values, cultural diversity and internationalism as an ideological position. These issues are discussed and clarified, and an attempt is made to formulate proposals that can accommodate and resolve differences. Applications: The applications of this article concern the theoretical construction of social work, in particular, the development of transnational social work; the construction of curricula for social work education and a reconceptualization of the importance of globalization and regionalism for social work practice.

Growth, Redistribution, and Welfare: Toward Social Investment

Contemporary approaches to social welfare are based on the idea that the resources generated by economic growth should be redistributed to fund social programs. Although this approach has dominated social policy since the 1950s, it has been undermined by the argument that redistributive social welfare expends scarce resources on unproductive social services, maintains needy people in dependency, and stifles economic growth. Faced with need for new ideas that will legitimate social welfare, social development offers an alternative perspective on redistribution that emphasizes resource allocations to social programs that are productivist and investment oriented and that enhance economic participation and make a positive contributiontodevelopment. Elaborating this argument, this article outlines strategies for implementing developmental social programs.

The social dimensions of development : social policy and planning in the Third World

This textbook provides basic information on social policies aimes at improving the welfare of the populations in developing countried and assessing the effectiveness of the major social policies which have been applied to the problems of poverty in these countried. The book is an outgrowth of experience gained in teaching a course in social policy and planning at London School of Economics. The focus is on social policied rather than on social planning techniques and the central theme is that state intervention and the implementation of social policies are a necessary prerequisite for improving the welfare of the inhabitants of 3rd World countried. The chapter defines underdevelopment. It stresses the need for governments to develop social policies in accordance with their needs and resources and to develop policies which will redistribute resources to the most seriously disadvantaged segments of their population. The 2nd chapter defines poverty describes the basic inequalities in living standards and income which exist in 3rd World countries and discuss the major theories which have been put forward to explain poverty. The next 5 chapters discuss the problems of population growth rural and urban development health and housing. The various policied which have been formulated to deal with each of these problems are described and compared in regard to their effectiveness. The next chapter discusses social work and the problems associated with the development of social welfare services in developing countries. The final chapter deals with international issues and assesses. The value of bilateral and multilateral aid. Major assumptions underlying the presentation of the material are 1)poverty impedes development 2)poverty will not disappear without government intervention 3)economic development by itself cannot reduce poverty 4)poverty is the result of social factors rather than the result of inadequacies on the part of poor indiciduals 5)socialpolicies and programs formulated to deal with problems in the developed countries are inappropriate for application in developing countries; 6)social policies must reflect the needs of each country; and 7)social planning should be an interdisciplinary endeavor and should utilize knowledge derived from all the social sciences.

Introduction: social policy, economic growth and developmental welfare

Although the notion of developmental welfare is not new, it is only in recent times that its central premises have again attracted attention in social policy circles. Since developmental welfare offers an opportunity to challenge the neo-liberal claim that social expenditures harm the economy, and that economic development requires retrenchments in state welfare, more information about this approach is needed. This article discusses the developmental welfare approach with reference to neo-liberalisms current hegemonic influence on social policy. It traces the historical evolution of developmental welfare, discusses its theoretical implications and outlines its practical proposals.

Involving Social Work in Economic Development

Social work is established as a profession in many countries today. Although social work originated in the western industrial nations, it also emerged in the so-called developing countries of the Third World in the middle decades of this century. In these countries, schools of social work were often created by religious organizations and social workers found employment in non-governmental agencies. However, after the Second World War, many newly independent Third World governments began to employ social workers to staff their public welfare programmes. With the encouragement of the international development agencies, many developing countries created social work training schools. By the 1980s, social work education was well established in both the industrial and developing nations. As Healy (1995) reported, professional social work schools affiliated with the International Association of Schools of Social

South Africa: the challenge of social development

Following South Africas transition from apartheid to majority rule, the countrys new government declared its intention to implement a macro-development approach, known as the Reconstruction and Development Programme, which would promote economic growth and, at the same time, raise the standards of living of the countrys impoverished majority. This programme was accompanied by the publication of a White Paper on developmental social welfare. Both give expression to social development ideas which had previously been popular in international circles and which were being resurrected by the 1995 United Nations World Summit. This article discusses South Africas engagement with social development and examines the challenges facing its attempts to implement this approach. The lessons learned from South Africas experience of formulating and implementing social development policies and programmes can inform similar efforts elsewhere

Development Policies: Sociological Perspectives.

Unlike other social scientists, sociologists have not been closely involved in formulating development policies for the Third World nor in their implementation. This volume challenges such a disengaged stance and demonstrates ways in which a sociological perspective can strengthen policy-making. Apart from raising general issues of principle, the book examines sociological involvement in foreign aid, social research, community participation, women in development and models of agrarian policy-making. The book is intended for use at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the disciplines of sociology and development studies, and aims to create interest among economists, planners and public administrators.

Global inequality, power and the unipolar world Implications for social work

English Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, neoconservative intellectuals and policy makers have promoted a unipolarist position which prescribes a new, unilateral role for the government of the United States in world affairs. This article discusses the concept of unipolarism and examines its implications for global inequality, social welfare and social work. French Aprè s l’effondrement de l’Union Soviétique, les intellectuels néoconservateurs et les stratèges se sont engagés dans la promotion d’une position unipolaire qui a prescrit un nouveau rô le unilatéral pour le gouvernement américain dans la gestion des affaires mondiales. Cet article aborde la notion d’unipolarité et en examine les conséquences en termes d’iné galités mondiales, de bien-ê tre social et de travail social. Spanish Siguiendo el colapso de la Unió n Sovié tica, los intelectuales neoconservadores y los creadores de política han promovido una posició n unipolar que prescribe un nuevo rol unilateral para el gobierno de los Estados Unidos en temas mundiales. Este artículo discute el concepto de unipolaridad y examina sus implicaciones para la desigualdad global, el bienestar social y el trabajo social.

THE DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE IN SOCIAL WORK: EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS FOR A NEW CENTURY

The developmental perspective is attracting more attention today as conventional residual and institutional approaches to social welfare lose appeal. This article explains the need to adopt a developmental perspective, traces its history, describes its key features, and outlines implications for social work education with reference to the educational needs of a new century.

Social work and the radical right: impact of developments in Britain and the United States

115 In the 1980s, the welfare state was profoundly affected by the ascendancy of radical conservative ideology. Also known as the New Right, neo-liberals and neo-conservatives (Bell, 1963; Levitas, 1986a; King, 1987; Gottfried and Fleming, 1988; Glennerster and Midgley, 1991), the radical right adopted a stridently anti-welfare position, seeking to privatize state provisions, slash social expenditures and abrogate the principle of governmental responsibility for welfare (Bawden and Palmer, 1984; Stoesz and Midgley, 1991). While these developments have been well documented, relatively little has been written about the impact of the radical right on social work. Given the profession’s historical commitment to alleviating poverty, promoting social justice and fostering respect for human diversity, social work was a natural target for the proponents of radical right-wing ideology who regard social work as a part of the left-leaning, intellectual establishment (Blumenthal, 1986) that has allegedly weakened traditional values, opposed free-market enterprise and undermined respect for authority. The radical right has been most successful in Britain and the United States where the Thatcher and Reagan administrations mounted a major assault on the welfare state. Through budget cuts, political propaganda and populist appeals to anti-welfare sentiments, they sought to reverse the gains of the last 50 years. Social work was also targeted. Although the intensity of the criticisms levelled against social work in these two countries varied, the profession has been the subject of both direct and indirect attacks (Jones, 1989; Haynes and Mickelson, 1992). This article compares developments in Britain and the USA and