U.S. Domestic Policy Research

The Policy-Based Profession by Philip Popple; Leslie Leighninger [O]ffers a detailed foundation for policy analysis, including chapters on historical, economic, and social policy analysis. Students then learn to apply the analysis framework to representative policies and issues in the fields of public welfare, aging, mental health, substance abuse, health, child welfare, and immigration. Correlated with the most recent Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Competencies, the 7th Edition includes the most recent research, theories, and political developments impacting the field. An entirely new chapter on immigration policy highlights this critical social justice issue, the health chapter delves into recent happenings in health care reform, and the mental health chapter includes material on the opioid epidemic and returning veterans.

Metaphor Analysis in Public Policy and Private Practice by Gerald V. O'Brien The book focuses on the impact of metaphor analysis on social policy and makes the case that students cannot be effective policy advocates unless they develop a good understanding of metaphor framing. The book describes the potential importance of metaphor awareness for practitioners.

The Altruistic Imagination by John Ehrenreich Social work and social policy in the United States have always had a complex and troubled relationship. In The Altruistic Imagination, John H. Ehrenreich offers a critical interpretation of their intertwined histories, seeking to understand the problems that face these two vital institutions in American society.Ehrenreich demonstrates that the emphasis of social work has always vacillated between individual treatment and social reform. Tracing this ever-changing focus from the Progressive Era, through the development of the welfare state, the New Deal, and the affluent 1950s and 1960s, into the administration of Ronald Reagan, he places the evolution of social work in the context of political, cultural, and ideological trends, noting the paradoxes inherent in the attempt to provide essential services and reflect at the same time the intentions of the state. He concludes by examining the turning point faced by the social work profession in the 1980s, indicated by a return to casework and a withdrawal from social policy concerns.

Stifled Progress - International Perspectives on Social Work and Social Policy in the Era of Right-Wing Populism by Jörg Fischer (Editor); Kerry Dunn (Editor) Social work as a democratically constituted profession committed to human rights is currently facing cross-border encroachments and attacks by right-wing populist movements and governments. With the Bundestag elections in September 2017, the question of the extent to which right-wing populist forces succeed in influencing the discourse with xenophobic and nationalist arguments arises in Germany, too. The authors examine how social work can respond effectively to nationalism, exclusion, de-solidarization and a basic skepticism about science and position itself against this background. The book explores different conditions in Germany, France, Poland, Russia and the US.