The Policy-Based Profession: An Introduction to Social Welfare Policy Analysis for Social Workers

This social welfare policy text, written specifically for use within the field of social work, shows readers the crucial connection between social policy and the everyday practice of social work. The Third Edition of The Policy-Based Profession provides readers with a process for analyzing policies that will help them as they enter a career in social work. It offers a detailed foundation for policy analysis, including chapters on historical policy analysis, social/economic analysis, and political analysis. This text brings readers up-to-date on the latest developments in welfare reform, managed care, the campaign to restructure Social Security, program and policy responses to the problems of substance abuse and the use of family preservation as an approach to child protection.

“The text is an excellent introduction to the policy making process and provides students with important insight into how to influence the policy making process. I highly recommend the text for undergraduate courses.”
John T. Pardeck, Southwest Missouri State University

This social welfare policy text, written specifically for use within the field of social work, shows students the crucial connection between social policy and the everyday practice of social work. The Third Edition of The Policy-Based Profession provides students with a process for analyzing policies that will help them as they enter a career in social work. This text brings students up-to-date on the latest developments in welfare reform, managed care, the campaign to restructure Social Security, program and policy responses to the problems of substance abuse and the use of family preservation as an approach to child protection.

Highlights of the Third Edition:

• Concluding chapter incorporates a section called “Taking Action,” which introduces students to policy practice skills including program evaluation, advocacy, lobbying, and forming coalitions.
• Examines new and updated policy such as the reauthorization and evaluation of TANF, legislative and public responses to President Bush's proposal to increase federal funding for faith-based charities, the growing dilemma of rising health costs, and specific proposals for dealing with the increasing cost of prescription drugs.
• Includes new discussions of health policy issues related to prescription drug costs and rising health costs in general.

Controversial Issues in Social Policy, Second Edition
Howard Jacob Karger, James Midgley, and C. Breni Brown
Order No. 0-205-33745-7
Health and Health Care Policy: A Social Work Perspective
Cynthia Moniz and Stephen Gorin
Order No. 0-205-30672-1

Special Value Pack Option:

You can order this text packaged with a FREE Research Navigator( for The Helping Professions guide, which features a free password for access to an array of online sources. This new Pearson Learning product helps students and instructors find credible and reliable material for research assignments and papers.

Remember to use the special ISBN 0-205-42184-9 to order this package!