Foundations of Social Policy: Social Justice, Public Programs, and the Social Work Profession

Reflecting the emerging consensus that views social justice as a primary mission of the social work profession, this new text for courses in social policy explicitly addresses the questions and dilemmas inherent in the pursuit of social justice. Organized in four parts, the book begins by presenting a framework for analyzing policies and programs in terms of social justice and examines social justice from several philosophical perspectives. The second part focuses on poverty, health care, and mental illness and addiction. Part III introduces theories of oppression and explores the challenges faced by populations that have faced oppression. Policy practice and the future of social work are addressed in Part IV.

A native of California, Amanda S. Barusch completed her B.A. in Psychology at Reed College and her M.S.W. and Ph.D. in Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. Her primary research and teaching interests are in the fields of social policy and aging. She has investigated topics ranging from interpersonal relations to international policy comparisons. She has published articles in leading North American journals and is the author or coauthor of seven books. Dr. Barusch joined the faculty at the University of Utah College of Social Work in 1985. She has served as Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Studies (2003-2007) and Director of the Social Research Institute (1995-1998); and is now Associate Dean for Research. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Poverty. She is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America. Since June of 2007 she has also held an appointment as Professor of Gerontology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, where she continues to serve on a part-time basis.