The Reluctant Welfare State: Engaging History to Advance Social Work Practice in Contemporary Society. This item is unavailable.The Reluctant Welfare State: Engaging History to Advance Social Work Practice in Contemporary Society

Written in clear, lively prose this highly respected book analyzes the evolution of the American welfare state from colonial times to present. Social welfare policy connects to an empowerment perspective, showing how African Americans, Latinos, women, gays and lesbians, Asian Americans, Native Americans, the elderly, poor people, and other vulnerable populations, as well as social reformers, have achieved progressive reforms through policy advocacy illustrating how a deep understanding of the past can impact present and future actions.

Bruce S. Jansson (MA, University of Chicago and Harvard University; PhD, University of Chicago) is Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Southern California (USC). He joined the USC faculty in 1973 after working in Michigan as a community organizer and planner for tenant rights. His scholarly interests focus on advancing case advocacy and policy advocacy in social work, as well as examining the history and practice of social welfare policy. He also has served as the Moses Distinguished Research Professor at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Jansson is probably most well-known for the book THE SIXTEEN TRILLION DOLLAR MISTAKE: HOW THE U.S. BUNGLED ITS NATIONAL PRIORITIES FROM THE NEW DEAL TO THE PRESENT (2001). The author of several other titles, Jansson is currently working on two books. One discusses how social workers and other staff in the health and human services can link case and policy advocacy in different sectors including mental health, child welfare, corrections, education, and civil rights. The other analyzes why the United States has not significantly reduced health disparities in the last five decades, and whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 will achieve this result.