Book description
From formulation to implementation, an approach to the analysis of
social policy through the lens of research
Analyzing Social Policy prepares professionals and students to
make better informed decisions related to identifying and
understanding the intricacies and potential impact of social
policymaking and enactment on their organization as well as their
individual responsibilities, goals, and objectives.
Authors Mary Katherine O'Connor and F. Ellen Netting thoroughly
examine various approaches to the analysis of social policies and how
these approaches provide the knowledge, multiple perspectives, and
other resources to understand and grasp the nuances of social policy
in all its complexity.
Comprehensive and based on research, Analyzing Social Policy explores:
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An overview of the practice of social policy analysis
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The role of research in guiding policy analysis
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The idea of policy analyses as research
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Themes, assumptions, and major theories that undergird rational
models of policy analysis
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Nonrational themes, assumptions, and major theories informing
nontraditional interpretive and critical approaches to policy analysis
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Strategies for applying selected models and approaches when
engaging in policy analysis as research
Providing practitioners and students with a set of tools that can be
used to enhance an understanding of what constitutes policy as well as
acceptable standards for critical analysis of policy, this resource
enables policy advocates-regardless of their level-to be political,
strategic, and critical in their work.
Mary Katherine O'Connor, MSW, PhD, is a Professor
in the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University where
she has taught in the MSW and PhD programs for over twenty years. She
has authored or coauthored numerous books, chapters, and journal
articles in the areas of public child welfare practice, services to
street children, and qualitative research method development.
F. Ellen Netting, MSSW, PhD, is a Professor of Social Work and
Samuel S. Wurtzel Chair at Virginia Commonwealth University where she
teaches in the BSW, MSW, and PhD programs. She has authored or
coauthored numerous books, chapters, and journal articles in the areas
of health and human service delivery issues for frail elders, as well
as nonprofit management concerns.
