Religion and Global Development: Intersecting Paths

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1 University Press Scholarship Online You are looking at 1-10 of 154 items for: keywords : social development Religion and Global Development: Intersecting Paths Katherine Marshall in Religious Pluralism, Globalization, and World Politics Published in print: 2008 Published Online: January 2009 ISBN: eisbn: acprof:oso/ This chapter focuses on religious involvement in the world of economic and social development. Here the large faith-inspired development organizations, including Catholic Caritas International, Protestant World Vision, and Islamic Relief, have long combined an ethical commitment to serve the poor and disadvantaged with transnational activities. Churches and Islamic charities, and other religious networks, have sustained networks of schools and hospitals. The past two decades have seen broader and deeper engagement, as faith-inspired groups are increasingly moving beyond humanitarian relief, education, and the provision of health care into new issue areas such as women s rights, human trafficking, and global warming. Community Practice and Developmental JAMES MIDGLEY Published in print: Published Online: May acprof:oso/ This chapter discusses the developmental approach to community social work practice. Although community organization and other forms of macro practice are usually associated with developmental interventions, the author contends that conventional community practice approaches such as neighborhood building, social services planning and social action have not effectively utilized investments that address peoples material needs. Drawing on the experience of community development in the Page 1 of 6

2 Global South and local economic development innovations in the United States, the chapter argues for a greater focus on economic projects that raise standards of living and address the problem of poverty and deprivation in poor communities. and Social Development: Theories and Skills for Developmental James Midgley and Amy Conley (eds) Published in print: Published Online: May Item type: book Page 2 of 6 acprof:oso/ Developmental social work, which is also known as the social development approach to social work, emphasizes the role of social investment in professional practice. These investments meet the material needs of social work s clients and facilitate their full integration into the social and economic life of the community. Developmental social workers believe that client strengths and capabilities need to be augmented with public resources and services if those served by the profession are to live productive and fulfilling lives. Although developmental social work is inspired by international innovations, particularly in the developing countries, the book shows that it also has relevance to the United States and other Western nations. It also contends that developmental social work practice is not confined to community organization or other macro-practice interventions, and that developmental ideas can be implemented in mainstream fields of social work practice such as child welfare, mental health, aging, social assistance and correctional social work. The editors and contributors to this book (most of whom are associated with the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley) offer a highly original exposition of developmental social work theory and practice. They draw widely on innovative examples from the United States and other countries to show how developmental ideas can be implemented in everyday social work practice. Poverty, Social Assistance, and Social Investment JAMES MIDGLEY Published in print: Published Online: May acprof:oso/

3 This chapter discusses the role of social work in addressing the problems of poverty through social assistance and related programs. When social work first emerged as a profession in the late 19th century and for many years after, social workers were actively involved in poverty alleviation and social assistance programs. During the New Deal for example, social workers in the United States participated extensively in the administration of public assistance. However, in the latter half of the 20th century, they disengaged from programs of this kind and much more emphasis was placed on psychotherapeutic interventions. This chapter argues that social workers have a key role to play in formulating and implementing social assistance programs designed to reduce poverty. Several international examples are given to illustrate this point. It also shows that these programs can be configured in ways that replace minimalist, Poor Law type of cash transfers and enhance investments. Social Development, Social Enterprise, and Homeless Youth KRISTIN FERGUSON Published in print: Published Online: May acprof:oso/ Traditional service delivery for homeless youths consists of residential as well as outreach and shelter services. Although traditional services aim to mitigate the health, mental health, and social problems of homeless youths, this approach fails to replace their street-survival behaviors with other legal, income-generating activities. Due to its focus on meeting these youths basic needs, traditional service provision reflects the remedial or maintenance-consumption approach to social work. In the case of homeless youths, successful strategies to move them from the informal to the formal economy require more than employment in low-paying positions, since their formal labor-market participation is often hindered by the challenges inherent in living on the streets. This chapter describes existing social investment strategies for homeless youths and suggests that through social enterprises, these youths can acquire vocational and business skills, mentorship, clinical treatment, and linkages to services to facilitate their economic and social selfsufficiency. Page 3 of 6

4 Social Development, Social Investment, and Child Welfare AMY CONLEY Published in print: Published Online: May acprof:oso/ The American child welfare system has traditionally taken a residual approach to serving families, intervening only in the worst cases of child maltreatment. A number of scathing indictments have been leveled against the traditional American child welfare system, suggesting that new ideas are needed to better meet the needs of children and families. By contrast, a social development approach enhances the capacities of parents and communities to care for children and addresses the problem of poverty, which is endemic to child maltreatment. This chapter first describes conventional child welfare practices and then compares them to a social development approach. While the social development approach to child welfare is still being formulated, potential strategies can be drawn from American and international experiences in child care and family support. These consist of linking child welfare practice with building community capacity, improving economic self-sufficiency, and promoting early child care and development. Limitations and Prospects of Developmental JAMES MIDGLEY and AMY CONLEY Published in print: Published Online: May acprof:oso/ This chapter draws the previous material together, recognizing that there are limitations to the developmental approach in social work but also that this approach has much future promise particularly in the context of economic challenges and resource constraints. It argues that social workers can use investment strategies in professional practice to promote the participation of social work s clients in normal community life and in the productive economy, and in this way, contribute positively their long term well-being. The developmental approach is highly Page 4 of 6

5 compatible with social work s historical values and commitment to achieving social justice and human rights. Productive Aging and Social Development NANCY GIUNTA Published in print: Published Online: May acprof:oso/ The aging of the worldwide population brings demographic, economic, and socio-cultural implications. Over the next several decades, the population will be increasingly comprised of older adults. Although they have benefited from various policies and programs, older adults and their caregivers are at risk of increased isolation, dependency, and decreased economic, physical, and mental well-being. Traditional social work approaches in the field of aging have consisted largely of disparate interventions that address individual needs without considering the larger social, physical, or economic context of an aging society. Meanwhile, recent theoretical contributions to the concept of productive aging have recognized that productivity may not only be defined as the economic value of an individual s actions, but may also be measured in terms of social or civic contributions. Older adults have the capacity to help build a community s social and economic capital through various means. Crime, Social Development, and Correctional WILL C. RAINFORD Published in print: Published Online: May acprof:oso/ Social workers have been involved with issues of delinquency, crime and corrections since the profession s inception in the late 19th century. However, as crime rates have continued to soar and as prison populations have reached unprecedented levels, new approaches are needed. Focusing on the role of social workers within correctional facilities, this chapter discusses innovative social investment strategies Page 5 of 6

6 that enhance the strengths and capabilities of those in prison and prepares them for successful reentry into society. Emphasis is given to human capital programs, employment preparation and placement, asset accounts and microenterprise programs that integrate offenders into the community and productive economy. The role of social workers in linking these activities to community resources, and the professional supports that facilitate reentry into the community are discussed. Epistemic Flow and the Social Making of Minds Charlie Lewis, Jeremy I. M. Carpendale, John Towse, and Katerina Maridaki- Kassotaki in Self- and Social-Regulation: Exploring the Relations Between Social Interaction, Social Understanding, and the Development of Executive Functions Published in print: Published Online: May ISBN: eisbn: acprof:oso/ Correlations between an understanding of self and other in psychological terms, often referred to as theory of mind, and the control of action, often labeled executive functions, have been reported and debated. We suggest that claims about such relations rest on a prior assumption that these are two separate, coherent domains and children have stable, measurable abilities in these areas. Examining relevant research, however, indicates variability in a number of ways, suggesting that both social understanding and executive skills are substantiated and develop within the flow of interaction with people and objects. According to our alternative approach to social cognitive development, social understanding develops within social interaction as children learn to talk about situations of shared understanding. We suggest that executive function and social understanding may be interdependent and emerge through the same processes within social interaction. Page 6 of 6