American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach (7th Edition)

Current social welfare policy in the United States.

Taking a policy analysis framework, American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach, 7/e is the most comprehensive and up-to-date textbook on the American welfare policy. The text provides a critical in-depth look at the major programs that make up the U.S. welfare state, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and TANF.

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers will be able to:

• Understand the social, political, and economic forces that shape social welfare policy.
• Analyze the major programs that make up the U.S. welfare state.
• Discuss basic social welfare concepts.

Howard Karger is Professor and Head of School, The University of Queensland. Howard was formerly Professor at the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, and for seven years headed their doctoral program. He has been on the faculties of the University of Missouri-Columbia, Louisiana State University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Prof. Karger is an internationally recognized scholar in social welfare policy, and has authored or co-authored 10 books and more than 80 articles and book chapters. His articles have appeared in major social work and social policy journals in the U.S. and abroad. Howard sits on the editorial boards of six journals.

Among his other books are Shortchanged: Life and Debt in the Fringe Economy (Berrett-Koehler, 2005), which won the 2006 Independent Publishers Award in Economics/Finance/ Investment.

Prof. Karger is a two-time Senior Fulbright Scholar, having done postings at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1989) and the University of Zimbabwe (1994).

David Stoesz is Professor of Social Work at Mississippi Valley State University.