REVIEWS

Books reviewed:
C atherine B ochel and H ugh M. B ochel , The UK Social Policy Process.
J ohn H udson and S tuart L owe , Understanding the Policy Process: Analysing Welfare Policy and Practice.
R. L ister , Poverty.
E. de G ier , A. de S waan and M. O oijens (eds), Dutch Welfare Reform in an Expanding Europe: The Neighbours' View.
J ohn C larke , Changing Welfare Changing States: New Directions in Social Policy.
F rancis G. C astles , The Future of the Welfare State: Crisis Myths and Crisis Realities.
J ohn S tewart , Taking Stock: Scottish Social Welfare after Devolution.     

The "international turn" in social policy; understanding social security

Books reviewed:
Mary Dalyand Katharine Rake, Gender and the Welfare State
Kevin Farnsworth, Corporate Power and Social Policy in a Global Economy: British Welfare under the Influence
Steffen Mau, The Moral Economy of Welfare States: Britain and Germany Compared
Jane Millar ed., Understanding Social Security
Howard Glennerster, Understanding the Finance of Welfare: What Welfare Costs and How to Pay for It     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this aticle: States of Welfare: Comparative Analysis in Social Policy By Joan Higgins Social Theory and Social Welfare By Peter Taylor -Gooby and Jennifer Dale . Towards Socialist Welfare Work By S. Bolger et al. The Right to Welfare and Other Essays By T. H. Marshall . Tribunal Representation: The Role of Advice and Advocacy Services By Roger Lawrence . Social Measurement and Social Indicators: Issues of Policy and Theory By Michael Carley . Automatic Poverty By Bill Jordan . Wealth, Income and Inequality (Second edition) By A. B. Atkinson (ed.). Voluntary Social Services By Norman Johnson . Voluntary and Statutory Collaboration: Rhetoric or Reality? By Diana Leat , Gerry Smolka , Judith Unell . Social Services Area Teams By Phyllida Parsloe . Intake Teams By Joanna Buckle . Occupational Survival: The Case of the Local Authority Social Worker By Carole Satyamurti . Social Work and General Medical Practice: Collaboration or Conflict? By June Huntingdon . Going Local: Neighbourhood Social Services By Roger Hadley and Morag Mc Grath (ed.). Community Groups in Action: Case Studies and Analysis By Hugh Butcher et al. The Impact of Ageing: Strategies for care By David Hobman (ed.). Old People's Homes and the Production of Welfare By Bleddyn Davies and Martin Knapp Old Age Homes By Roger Clough .     

Review Article

Book Review in this Articles:
"The Welfare State and its Aftermath" Edited by S. N. EISENSTADT AND ORA AHIMEIR
Thinking About Social Thinking The Philosophy of the Social Sciences By ANTONY FLEW
The State: Authority and Autonomy By BILL JORDAN     

Reviews

Books reviewed:
I an H olliday and P aul W ilding (eds.), Welfare Capitalism in East Asia: Social Policy in the Tiger Economies.
M. R amesh (ed.), Social Policy in East and Southeast Asia: Education, Health, Housing and Income Maintenance.
K wong-leung T ang and C hack-kie W ong (eds.), Poverty Monitoring and Alleviation in East Asia.
D ong-myeon S hin (ed.), Social and Economic Policies in Korea: Ideas, Networks and Linkages.
P. D wyer , Understanding Social Citizenship: Themes and Perspectives for Policy and Practice.
G. L ewis (eds.), Citizenship: Personal Lives and Social Policy.
S. B ecker and A. B ryman (eds.), Understanding Research for Social Policy and Practice: Themes, Methods and Approaches.
H artley D ean (ed.), The Ethics of Welfare: Human Rights, Dependency and Responsibility.
I an G ough and G eof W ood , with A rmando B arrientos , P hilippa B evan , P eter D avis and G raham R oom , Insecurity and Welfare Regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America: Social Policy in Development Contexts.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this aticle: The Political Economy of the Welfare State By THOMAS WILSON AND DOROTHY J. WILSON. Corporatism and Welfare By ALAN CAWSON. Whither State Welfare? Policy and Implementation in the Personal Social Services 1979–80. By ADRIAN WEBB AND GERALD WISTOW. Culture of the Social Services By ANDREW KAKABADSE. Public Participation in Local Services By N. BOADEN et al. Don't Mourn for me … Organise: The Social and Political Uses of Voluntary Organisations By DAVID SCOTT. Economics and Social Policy By ALAN GORDON. Europe Against Poverty — The European Poverty Programme 1975–80 By JANE DENNETT et al. Health Policy in Britain By CHRISTOPHER HAM. Policy Making and Planning in the Health Sector By KENNETH LEE AND ANNE MILLS. Industrial Relations and Health Services By A. S. SETHI AND S. J. DIMMOCK (eds.) The Economics of Outpatient Clinic Location: the paediatrics case By J. G. CULLIS, S. HEASELL AND S. WELLER. The Economics of Unemployment in Britain By JOHN GREEDY (ed.) Workless By DENNIS MARSDEN. Discrimination and Disadvantage in Employment: The Experience of Black Workers By P. BRAHAM, E. RHODES AND M. PEARN (eds.) Unqualified and Underemployed: Handicapped Young People and the Labour Market By ALAN WALKER. Family Care of the Handicapped Elderly: Who Pays? By MURIEL NISSEL AND LUCY BONNERJEA. Capitalism and the Construction of Old Age By CHRIS PHILLIPSON. Policy Making for the Mentally Handicapped By GREGORY S. DONGES.     

REVIEWS

Books reviewed:
R. B urnett and C olin R oberts (eds), What Works in Probation and Youth Justice: Developing Evidence-based Practice.
M. Tonry, Punishment and Politics: Evidence and Emulation in the Making of English Crime Control Policy.
T. N ewburn and R. S parks , Criminal Justice and Political Cultures: National and International Dimensions of Crime Control.
N. C hristie , A Suitable Amount of Crime.
P. K ennett , A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy.
Bernard Harris, The Origins of the British Welfare State: Social Welfare in England and Wales, 1800–1945.     

Reviews

R. Goodman, G. White and Huck-Ju Kwon (eds.), The East Asian Welfare Model: Welfare Orientalism and the State
Kwong-Leung Tang, Social Welfare Development in East Asia
M. Ramesh (with M. G. Asher), Welfare Capitalism in Southeast Asia: Social Security, Health and Education Policies
Fen-Ling Chen, Working Women and State Policies in Taiwan: A Study in Political Economy
M. Lavalette and G. Mooney (eds.), Class Struggle and Social Welfare
D. Porter, Health, Civilization and the State     

REVIEW ARTICLES

Book Reviewed in this article
The Impact of Social Policy BY VIC GEORGE AND PAUL WILDING Routledge and Kegan Paul, London
Invitation on Social Work by B. Jordan The Political Dimensions of social Work by B. Jordan and N. Parton
The Political Dimensions of Social Work By B. JORDAN and N. PARTON
The Welfare State in Crisis: Social Thought and Social Change By RAMESH MISHRA
Contradictions of the Welfare State By CLAW OFFE
Social Planning: A Strategy for Socialist Welfare By ALAN WALKER
Thomas Chalmers and the Godly Commonwealth By STEWARTJ. BROWN     

Childcare: welfare or investment?

Conley A. Childcare: welfare or investment? Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 173–181 © 2009 The Author, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. Childcare (also called day care or preschool) has generally served three purposes: to care for children while parents are employed; to provide early childhood education; and to cater to the needs of poor and disadvantaged children. This article proposes that the welfare approach to childcare be augmented by a social investment approach to enhance human and social capital investments among low income families and communities and to contribute to wider social development goals. The Head Start program in the United States and the Integrated Child Development Scheme in India are used to illustrate this argument.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this aticle:
Images of Welfare By PETER GOLDING AND SUE MIDDLETON.
Professional Power and Social Welfare By PAUL WILDING.
The Strategy of Equality: Redistribution and the Social Services By JULIAN LE GRAND.
The Inspector General: Sir Jeremiah Fitzpatrick and Social Reform 1783–1802 By OLIVER MACDONAGH.
The Home Office 1848–1914: From Clerks to Bureaucrats By JILL PELLEW.
Victorian Values: Secularism and the Size of Families By J. A. BANKS.
Children, School and Society in Nineteenth Century England By ANNE DIGBY AND PETER SEARBY (eds)
English Education, Social Change and War, 1911–20 By GEOFFREY SHERINGTON.
The Administrative "Revolution" in Whitehall By G. K. FRY.
Quangos in Britain: Government and the Networks of Public Policy Making By ANTHONY BARKER (ed.)
Social Welfare Law By DAVID PEARL AND KEVIN GRAY.
The Abuse of Power: Civil Liberties in the United Kingdom By PATRICIA HEWITT.
Disability: Legislation and Practice By DUNCAN GUTHRIE (ed.)
Current Trends in British Gerontology By REX TAYLOR AND ANNE GILMORE.
Retirement Policy: The Next 50 Years By MICHAEL FOGARTY (ed.)
The Inner City in Context By PETER HALL (ed.)
The Uses of Social Research: Social Investigation in Public Policy Making By MARTIN BULMER.
Sociology and Social Research By GEOFF PAYNE et al.
Economic Efficiency and Social Welfare By E. J. MISHAN.
Values in Social Policy: Nine Contradictions By JEAN HARDY.     

REVIEWS

Book review in this Articles:
Sin, Organised Charity and the Poor Law in Victorian England By Robert Humphreys
The Voluntary Sector, The State and Social Work in Britain: The Charity Organisation Society/Family Welfare Association since 1869 By Jane Lewis
Community Care for Older People: A Comparative Perspective, By Susan Tester
Changing Services for Older People, By Alan Walker and Lorna Warren
The Irish Social Welfare System: Law and Social Policy BY MEL COUSINS     

Review

Book Reviewed in this Article
British Conservatism: Conservative Thought from Burke to Thatcher By F rank O'G orman
The Emergence of the Welfare States By D ouglas E. A shford
Bricks of Shame: Britain's Prisons. By V ivien S tern     

Reviews

Books reviewed:
P. Dwyer, Welfare Rights and Responsibilities: Contesting Social Citizenship
C. Pierson and F. G. Castles (eds), The Welfare State Reader
P. Spicker, The Welfare State: A General Theory
Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Young Homeless People     

Welfare residualism: a comparative study of the Basic Livelihood Security systems in China and South Korea

Gao Q, Yoo J, Yang S‐M, Zhai F. Welfare residualism: a comparative study of the Basic Livelihood Security systems in China and South Korea Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 113–124 © 2010 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. In this article, the Basic Livelihood Security (BLS) systems of China and South Korea are compared. The purpose of BLS is to provide a safety net for poor families, particularly the unemployed and the retired who were hard‐hit by recent economic reforms and crises. A common characteristic of the two systems is residual welfare marked by strict eligibility rules and limited coverage. Both systems are subordinate to the primary goal of economic growth and therefore only compensate for the very disadvantaged left behind by market competition. Neither system is particularly effective in achieving its original antipoverty goals. However, South Korea's provision of self‐support programs to supplement cash transfers has helped individuals to move from welfare to work, and thus has implications for China's BLS system. Both countries need to put more emphasis on equity and social justice in their ongoing reforms and expansions of BLS.     

Perspectives on narrative methods in social work research

Larsson S, Sjöblom Y. Perspectives on narrative methods in social work research Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 272–280 © 2009 The Author, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. The narrative turn has entered many different academic disciplines and is now also emerging in social work. This article focuses on a discussion of the possibilities and limitations of doing narrative research in social work, including a scrutiny of definitions and of a number of theoretical and methodological arguments often used by some of the leading narrative researchers.     

The forgotten half: analysing the politics of welfare services

Jensen C. The forgotten half: analysing the politics of welfare services Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 404–412 © 2010 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. This article discusses the welfare state and argues that the service component has been neglected in the mainstream literature. A main reason for the neglect is the lack of theorising on the distinction between the politics of welfare services and the politics of transfers. An analytical framework that may help overcome this problem is presented.     

Reviews

Books reviewed:
Bob Deacon with (Michelle Hulse and Paul Stubbs) Global Social Policy: International Organizations and the Future of Welfare
James Midgley Social Welfare in Global Context
John Carter Postmodernity and the Fragmentation of Welfare
Peter Leonard Postmodern Welfare: Reconstructing an Emancipatory Project
Robert E. Goodin The Theory of Institutional Design
A. Rogers and D. Pilgrim Mental Health Policy in Britain: A Critical Introduction
S. Goodwin Comparative Mental Health Policy: From Institutional to Community Care
D. Tomlinson and J. Carrier Asylum in the Community     

Trends in long‐term sickness absence in Sweden 1992–2008: the role of economic conditions,legislation, demography,work environment and alcohol consumption

Lidwall U, Marklund S. Trends in long‐term sickness absence in Sweden 1992–2008: the role of economic conditions, legislation, demography, work environment and alcohol consumption Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 167©179 © 2010 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. In Sweden, absence from work because of illness or injury has fluctuated considerably over time. This study aimed to identify potentially important factors behind variations in long‐term sickness absence. Aggregated data were used to assess factors correlated with the number of ongoing cases of sickness absence lasting more than 59 days. Trends were analysed using statistics from national social insurance records, labour force surveys and other official statistics. Although specific changes in the degree of generosity in the sickness insurance scheme were important in some cases, the results showed no consistent associations for the study period 1992–2008. Men were generally more sensitive to macroeconomic factors than women. Furthermore, compared with earlier findings, workforce composition had less impact on variations in long‐term sickness absence. Notably, public health indicators such as alcohol sales and working conditions were clearly related to long‐term sick leave during the period under investigation.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this aticle:
Using the Social Sciences by A. B. CHERNS.
The Execution Process Vol. 1. Implementation in a Bureaucracy Vol. 2. Control in a Bureaucracy by ANDREW DUNSIRE.
The Reorganisation of British Local Government by JOHN DEARLOVE.
Introducing Social Policy by D. C. MARSH (ed.)
Over-Ruled on Welfare by RALPH HARRIS AND ARTHUR SELDON.
The Political Economy of the Welfare State by IAN GOUGH.
Economic Welfare in the Soviet Union by ALASTAIR MCAULEY.
The Welfare State in Sweden by DOROTHY WILSON.
Youth in Contemporary Society by CHRISTOPHER MURRAY (ed.)
Housing Improvement and Social Inequality by PAUL N. BALCHIN.
Not Much Improvement: Urban Renewal Policy in Birmingham by CHRIS PARIS AND BOB BLACKABY.
Jobs and Community Action by G. CRAIG, M. MAYO AND N. SHARMAN (EDS.)
Unmet Needs and the Delivery of Care by PAUL CHAPMAN.
Welfare Law and Policy: Studies in Teaching, Practice and Research by MARTIN PARTINGTON AND JEFFREY JOWELL, (eds.).
Perspective on Legal Aid: a Comparative Survey by F. H. Zemans, (ed.)