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Influence 6.1/Spring '02
NEW ISP VIDEO Social Work Practice in a Century of Change ISP has produced a new video, Social Work Practice in a Century of Change, a 25-minute VHS tape that was shipped to all members in February 2002. (If any member does not receive one by March 1, please contact Bob Schneider at rschneid@vcu.edu.. Ms. Wendy Sherman, MSW, a Principal in the Albright Group, spoke eloquently on October 2, 2002 at the biennial Policy Practice Forum in Washington, DC about the speed and depth of change in the United States and the world. Her remarks included references to 9.11.01, but she urged the participants to realize that change is happening everywhere and that social workers do not have the option of standing on the sidelines. Ms. Sherman outlined how social work principles such as person-in-situation and self-determination guided her own career in public service. She reminded the audience of their obligation to engage in public policy decision-making. Ms. Sherman ably motivates social workers to learn how to become effective in today's ever-challenging environment. Ms. Sherman received her MSW from the University of Maryland, served as Director of Maryland's Office of Child Welfare, was campaign manager for Senator Barbara Mikulski, directed EMILY's List, was Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under Warren Christopher, and was Counselor of the Department of State under Madeline Albright. The video has a set of discussion questions at the end and there is a brief outline of the text and Ms. Sherman's key points for group leaders. The video can also be ordered at a cost of $20 including postage from Bob Schneider at rschneid@vcu.edu. MY JOURNEY TO MACRO SOCIAL WORK Patty Moran, Second
Year Graduate Student If somebody had asked me two years ago about my career goals, I would have told them that I knew exactly what I wanted. My entire education had been focused on clinical practice. I graduated from my undergraduate institution with a degree in Psychology and entered VCU's MSW program with every intention of obtaining an advanced clinical degree. My excitement about the clinical side was not just an ordinary interest; rather I had spent the previous four years of my life preparing for this opportunity. I had no doubt in my mind that the clinical field was a perfect fit for me, so you can imagine my surprise when I chose the Macro concentration instead. But why? My first semester at VCU was relatively uneventful. I was extremely focused, allowing no planning and administration opportunity to interfere with my career choice. I excelled in my clinical practice course and was inspired by my social justice course; but I was utterly distraught over my social policy course. The unfamiliar course material challenged me both academically and personally. While my mindset remained focused on clinical, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the global impact of individual social policy efforts. My first semester of social policy was spent dreading every class session, but by the second semester, I was so immersed in the Virginia General Assembly legislative activities that I couldn't help but be fascinated by them. My advocacy effort regarding mental health decisions alone may have assisted in influencing decision-makers to positively enhance the lives of hundreds of thousands of Virginia citizens. This exhilarating and powerful feeling of influencing state decisions captivated me, causing me to reevaluate my career goals, ultimately changing my second year concentration from clinical to macro. While my heart remained in clinical practice, I could not ignore the effect that I would have on my clients if I sought to enhance their quality of life at the policy level. While not all students are as impressed with influencing policies, I hope that most recognize the importance of legislative advocacy, prompting them to take action regarding the decisions being made about their clients’ quality of life. Now, only a few months away from graduation, I find myself equipped with the necessary skills and abilities to pursue a number of career possibilities. My degree and experiences have opened up numerous opportunities, and my most difficult decision is narrowing the field. My main employment challenge is to find a position where I can actively influence the macro-level decision-making process, yet be guided directly by micro-level concerns. The more I seek this position, the more I realize that bridging the gap between macro- and micro-level practices is not a matter of organizational structure, but more a personal goal to be achieved by the individual social worker. UPCOMING EVENTS February 25, 2002. Monday. Noon to 1:00 PM. ISP Annual Planning Luncheon during the APM of the Council on Social Work Education in Nashville, TN. Reservations required. Call or e-mail Bob Schneider at 804.828.0452 or rschneid@vcu.edu. February 25. 2002, Monday. 5:30-6:30 (Preview) & 6:45-8:00 PM Annual "Live" Auction of Influencing State Policy at the APM of the Council on Social Work Education in Nashville, TN. Ryman Center in the Opryland Hotel. Open to all. February 26, 2002. Tuesday. 5:30-6:45 PM Annual Meeting of Influencing State Policy at the APM of the Council on Social Work Education in Nashville, TN. Opryland Hotel, room Lincoln E. Speakers: Tommy Brown, MSW, Tennessee State Legislator and Ms. Younghee Lim, winner of ISP Ph.D. $2000 dissertation stipend for 2001. Open to all. April 15, 2002. Monday. Deadline for paper/presentation proposals for the APM of The Council on Social Work Education, February, 2003, in Atlanta. Contact: http://www.cswe.org or 703.683.8080. April 22, 2002. Monday. Deadline for entries to The Annual Influencing State Policy Contest-2002 for faculty and students. See page 14 and the website, www.statepolicy.org for rules and instructions. April 30, 2002. Tuesday. Deadline for ISP Liaisons to return annual ISP survey and to report on the final number of student visits to state legislatures (In 2001, there were 4,636 student visits). June 15-18, 2002. The Policy Conference: Policy Education and Practice in an Uncertain World. Cosponsored by the College of Social Work at the University of South Carolina, NASW-PACE, and ISP in Charleston, SC. ISP annual contest awards luncheon and sessions galore on policy and practice. Proposals for papers will be due April 1, 2002. For more information, contact Duncan Whyte at WhyteD@gwm.sc.edu/ September 2, 2002. New goals set for ISP Liaisons. Kickoff for the Annual Influencing State Policy Contest-2003. October 23-27, 2002. Annual Conference of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors in Pittsburgh, PA. ISP will have a booth in the exhibitors' hall. For more information: go to the BPD website at http://www.bpdonline.org/ November 15, 2002. Deadline for completed proposals for the ISP $2,000 Ph.D. Dissertation Award - 2002. See page 13 for rules or call Bob Schneider at 804.828.0452 or e-mail rschneid@vcu.edu or go to ISP website: http://www.statepolicy.org. DISSERTATION AWARD Ms. Younghee Lim, a Ph.D. social work candidate at The Ohio State University was selected by a national panel of 8 ISP scholars to receive the $2,000 Dissertation Award. This award requires that a dissertation-in-process be focused on social policy research at the state level. Scholars evaluated 13 entries from GA, NY, MD, VA, TX, MN, IL, and MI and the final selection was very competitive. ISP is offering this annual award in order to promote awareness and understanding of how policy, research, and social work practice are integrated at the state level. Funding for the stipend comes from the annual ISP auction. Below are the titles of the dissertation proposals of each of the participants and the names of their dissertation chair/advisors. Ms. Younghee Lim, The Ohio State University (winner). Title: Estimating the Effects of State EITCs on the Decline in the Welfare Caseloads during the 1990s: Pooled Time-Series Cross-Section Analysis. Summary: This research examines the effects of state EITCs (Earned Income Tax Credits) on the decline in the AFDC/TANF caseloads. The study controlled for state policy variations in federal AFDC waivers as well as in TANF, business cycles, demography, and political influence in each state in each year. Results indicate that state EITCs have significantly decreased the welfare caseloads in the 1990s. Recommendations are being formulated to expand state EITCs to become universal in order to further benefit families with children in or near poverty as well as children of low-income working families. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Rebecca Kim. Ms. Monica M. Alzate, Ph.D. social work candidate at the University of Georgia. Title: Single Mothers on Welfare in Georgia: Their Human Development and the 1996 Welfare Reform. Dissertation Chair: Dr. Larry Nackerud. Ms. Jennifer L. Bashant, Ph.D. social work candidate at the State University of New York-Albany. Title: Utilization of Evidence-Based School Violence Prevention Programs: A Survey of New York State Schools. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Bonnie Carlson. Mr. Danny Cole, Ph.D. social work candidate at the University of Maryland. Title: An Examination of Washington D.C.'s Juvenile Curfew Act of 1995: A Single-System Approach. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. John Belcher. Mr. William W. Dethlefs, Ph.D. social work candidate at the University of Michigan. Title: Employment and Welfare Reform: The effect of Workplace Support on Job Tenure of Former Welfare Recipients. Dissertation Chairs: Drs. John Tropman and Jane Dutton Ms. Catherine Lawrence, Ph.D., social work candidate at State University of New York-Albany. Title: Bearing Children, Forming Families: An Analysis of State Welfare Systems Under the New Welfare Agenda. Dissertation Chair: Dr. Jan Hagen. Ms. Sharon McDonald, Ph.D. social work candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University. Title: The Labor Market and Structuration Theory: Utilizing a Structuration Perspective to Examine Perceptions of Labor Market Opportunities and Constraints in a Distressed Urban Neighborhood. Dissertation Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Hutchison. Ms. Beverly McPhail, Ph.D. social work candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. Title: The Prosecutors' Perspective on Hate Crime Policy. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Diana DiNitto. Ms. Mika Nagamine, Ph.D. social work candidate at the University of Minnesota. Title: The Influence of Welfare Reform on the Health Insurance Status and Mammography Utilization of Low-Income Women. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. C. David Hollister. Ms. Judy Postmus, Ph.D. social work candidate at the State University of New York-Albany. Title: In Their Own Words: Battered Women, Welfare, and the Family Violence Option. Dissertation Chair: Dr. Jan Hagen. Mr. Hyucksun Sunny Shin, Ph.D. social work candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Title: Spelling Education Success: The Effects of Out-of-Home Care on Academic Performance and Attainment. Dissertation Chair: Dr. John Poertner. Ms. Christine TenBarge, Ph.D. social work candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. Title: Effectiveness of a Cognitive Behavioral, Task-Centered Group Intervention Model for Pregnant and Parenting Teens in a Nontraditional Public School Setting: Implications for Justice Oriented Social Work Practice. Dissertation Chair: Dr. Cynthia Franklin. Ms. Michelle Wolf Acree, Ph.D. social work candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University. Title: The Fit Between Elder Medicaid Personal Care Consumers and Consumer-Directed Personal Care. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Ann Nichols-Case-bolt. CHAIRMAN'S LETTER Greetings! Influencing State Policy (ISP) is pleased to bring you another edition of INFLUENCE at a time when state decision makers are facing severe budget forecasts and the nation is still adjusting to life after September 11, 2001. As you already know, there are many consequences that have a direct impact on social work clients and practice. As policy practitioners and educators, our challenge is to incorporate these new realities into our work. While “life goes on,” the dynamics of policy making and the distribution of resources continue to be subject to those who know “what works.” ISP’s long-standing goal is to increase the number of social workers who are effective in the legislative arena. Don't be on the sidelines! This issue contains articles or briefs on the current ISP agenda: the awarding of our first $2,000 Ph.D. dissertation stipend; the production and distribution of a new video: Social Work Practice in a Century of Change, featuring Wendy Sherman, MSW; comments on the ISP effort to organize a response to the reauthorization of the TANF legislation in November; a new design of the website, which has had over 15,400 visits now; the upcoming "live" auction on February 25, 2002 in Nashville; the planning luncheon and annual members' meeting during the APM of CSWE in Nashville; deadlines for the Annual ISP national contest; and state policy developments. Please read and then make other copies of the newsletter to distribute to students and colleagues. I will mail you extra copies if you request them by e-mail! Nashville will be the 6th annual meeting of ISP and we can feel proud that we are able to advance our goals. I urge each member to resolve to incorporate some activity of ISP into their current courses or program curriculum. Every small step is important and builds a future path for social work's role in policy practice. If you have any doubts, visit the newly designed website just to review the progress ISP has made. Later in the spring, a survey of the ISP Liaisons will be mailed and we hope to learn more about how to make ISP effective. If you receive a questionnaire, please fill it out and return it to us. Remember your ISP annual GOALS this spring and: Organize and transport your students to your state legislature! (Send me the tally). Use the ISP website, http://www.statepolicy.org in your classes and urge others to visit it! Pay your membership dues of $25 for 2002! Make sure that at least one student or faculty member from your program enters the national contest for 2002 (deadline is April 22)! Finally, help us with the ISP auction by donating an item/destination/service or attending it in TN! All the best. ISP 2001-02 GOALS
BSW NEWS The Baccalaureate Program Directors' Board approved the second annual Summer Policy Fellow Award of $5,000 to be given to a selected BSW student who will be supervised in a Congressional setting in Washington, DC in summer, 2002. Check with your BSW Program Director for details or go to the BPD website at http://www.bpdonline.org/. TANF PROJECT In fall, 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requested comments on the reauthorization of the 1996 Welfare Law (TANF). ISP mobilized itself to participate in this “real life” exercise of shaping a policy that has had significant impact on clients. A six-point proposal was developed around time limits, work definitions, barriers to participation, family discrimination, charitable choice, and upward mobility. Approximately 254 letters or signatures generated by ISP members were mailed to Asst. Secretary Wade F. Horn in the Office of Family Assistance in Washington. Below is a sampling of responses to the efforts of ISP to produce its proposal. From Edward A. McKinney, of the Joint Masters Program at The University of Akron and Cleveland State University: “My two social welfare policy classes accepted a class letter writing project referencing the welfare reform reauthorization legislation. (There are some 50 graduate students in the two classes.) We used background information from the ISP document you had sent relating to issues that the legislators should address. I gave them some class time for drafting their letters. This class project did not involve a grade. It was part of our discussion around policy practice and our ethical responsibility to society in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics. From Cynthia Merriwether-deVries, of Juniata College in PA: “Crazy time here, so thanks for the reminder. My policy class generated 8 e-mail letters (6 to the website and 2 directly to Asst. Secretary Horn. I'm pleased with my students’ responses, as it was not a “for credit” task, and so, to have 8 of 10 undergrads respond was fantastic! From Anne Shumaker, Program Coordinator of the Social Work Dept. at Virginia Intermont College in November: “I want to thank you for getting us rolling on the TANF reauthorization…I also want to thank you for providing a great learning opportunity for my students. In my policy I class, we are composing a policy brief and using it to help build a letter writing campaign regarding needed changes in the law. What a change this week has been from the pained smiles and glazed eyes that usually accompany a policy course. The student are doing REAL policy work and you can see that all the dry information we've covered so far is beginning to make sense to them as they learn how the process of influencing policy works.” From Joseph Wronka of Springfield College, MA: “Just to let you know that I did send a letter concerning TANF suggesting that they incorporate international human rights law into the new legislation. All the best and thanks for taking this on.” From Donna McIntosh of Siena College, NY: “Well written and researched. I have forwarded the ISP document to the rest of the social work faculty as well as sending it to Brother Harlan, director of our Center for Service and Advocacy and suggested that they perhaps bring this to students. I also sent it to the economics and political science professors I know to be social advocates. I will myself send a letter. From Steve Anderson and Tony Halter of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: “I know you always have interest in classroom activities related to state policy, so I thought I also would share with you what my MSW social policy class did re: TANF reauthorization. We used it to illustrate different issues in social policy development, such as problem definition, goal setting, and incremental policy change. After I presented initial information on TANF, including an assessment of early research results, the students worked in groups over a 4-week period. They were asked to define the most pressing problems facing TANF recipients and leavers, as well as the goals that a program like TANF should encompass. They also developed three recommendations for TANF assuming no budget growth, and three assuming a modest incremental increase. We culminated the exercise by writing a letter to Wade Horn as a class, and incorporated some of the recommendations of each of the groups. This was intended to provide the students with the sense of real participation in this process, as opposed to simply completing a class exercise.” To read many of the 640 official public comments on the TANF reauthorization, go to http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/Hyper-News/get/tanfreaut/tanfreaut.html. E-MAIL ADVOCACY In theory, e-mail should be a useful tool for democracy, an easy and prompt way for citizens to reach their representatives. And with the fear and disruption resulting from the discovery of anthrax in Congressional mail, e-mail might seem an ideal alternative. Ill equipped to cope with the deluge of correspondence that the Internet has brought, many Congressional offices no longer disclose e-mail addresses to the public. And both staff members and lobbyists say that e-mail is far less successful than faxes, phone calls or letters in reaching and influencing legislators. Based on a recent test for this article, e- mail is unlikely to elicit an acknowledgment that it has been read. On Nov. 26, messages were sent to the 65 Senate offices listing addresses on the Senate Web site. The messages identified the sender as a reporter sending e-mail to members of Congress to see if, when and how they answered. Aside from 27 automated responses, only 7 Senate offices sent a reply within two weeks. Many of the automated responses discussed the difficulties that e-mail has created for Congressional offices. Staff members are deterred from reading e-mail because they receive up to 5,000 messages per week, many of them from advertisers and non- constituents. In one response, Larry Neal, deputy chief of staff for Senator Phil Gramm, Republican of Texas, wrote, “The communication that Sen. Gramm values most certainly does not arrive by wire. It is the one where someone sat down at a kitchen table, got a sheet of lined paper and a No. 2 pencil, and poured their heart into a letter.” Mr. Gramm's office, like many others, often responds to e-mail messages on paper. Congress received about 80 million e-mail messages last year, according to the Congress Online Project, a two-year research effort financed by the Pew Charitable Trusts and conducted jointly by the Congressional Management Foundation and George Washington University at (www.congressonlineproject.org). The researchers estimate that the number may have doubled this year. The ease with which e-mail can be sent and the push by advocacy groups for supporters to send e-mail to Congress have raised the public’s expectation of being heard. Instead, a report concluded the “conflicting practices and expectations of all the parties are fostering cynicism and eroding trust.” Consultants who specialize in Internet campaigning discourage the practice of lobbying solely through e-mail. Some consultants, however, said that certain e-mail campaigns had worked. Pam Fielding, founder of E-Advocates in Washington, said that an e-mail campaign helped rescue the Violence Against Women Act last year. A week before the Senate vote, she said, leaders of the Stop Family Violence campaign sent a request for accounts of domestic violence to the campaign's e-mail list of 36,000 supporters. Within 24 hours, she said, the request had yielded 6,000 stories for Congress via e-mail. The bill passed, and shelters and hot lines for battered women received $3.3 billion over five years. Ms. Fielding was cautious about attributing the passage of the bill to any one factor but said that “we knew we were influential” in sending the e-mail. The objective of any campaign is to create a tangible sense of pressure within a Congressional office through ringing telephones, bulging mail bags and humming fax machines. E-mail silently accumulating in an In box does not create that pressure. “E-mail is effective in organizing a constituency,” a consultant said. "It's uniquely ineffective in projecting the voice of that constituency. There's no way to create an impact in a visual way.” LIVE AUCTION Monday, February 25, 2002, Opryland Hotel, Ryman Center, Preview and free refreshments begin at 5:30 followed by the Auction at 6:45 PM. ISP will sponsor its second annual “live auction” as social work educators gather for the Council on Social Work Education annual meeting in Nashville, TN on Monday, February 25, 2002, at 5:30-6:45 (Preview and free refreshments) and 6:45-8:00 PM (Live Auction). Ask anyone attending the ISP auction in Dallas in 2001 how much fun we had and you will not want to miss this one. The ISP “traveling gavel” has already been from South Dakota to China; who will bid on it in TN? Who will buy the four tickets to a taping of Oprah? Please notify Bob Schneider at rschneid@vcu.edu or 804.828.0452 about what items you can contribute. Please see the flyer on page 9 of this newsletter for a partial listing of items you will want to bid on. ISP WEBSITE The ISP website, http://www.statepolicy.org has been improved and redesigned thanks to the efforts of our two social work student members of the Board of Advisors, Ms. Aimee Perron and Ms. Heather Carkuff. You must visit and see for yourself! In addition to a sleek, colorful, and attractive design with multiple tabs for quick selection, the site now encourages visitors to first discover what is happening that day in their state. With one click, you are linked to stateline.org, a site providing the latest news in all 50 states. ISP believes that this feature will help students and faculty learn about state policy issues quickly and accurately. (You may have to download Macromedia Flash Player when you link to stateline.org) All of the other resources and linkages are still available on the site. Below are some recent discoveries:
INTERN'S REFLECTION On September 4, 2001, I started my internship in Senator Daschle's office in Aberdeen, S.D, his hometown. I was very excited to be working for a man with such high authority. My first week was a basic week like any other, learning the “ropes” of the office and getting settled in. September 11, 2001, my second week on the job, turned out to be one I will never forget. Most Americans can remember where they were and what they were doing when Dr. King was assassinated as well as when President Kennedy was killed. The September 11th disaster will also be engraved in the minds of everyone, everywhere. This tragedy has reserved its place in the history books by being the worse episode of casualties on American soil outside of wartime. As I entered the office that day, I could feel the emotions of my coworkers as they were having the same feelings of disbelief as I was. Who could have done such a horrible act and why? We were all searching for those answers as we, along with every American, constantly viewed the television. On this day, most office matters were held in one conference room in order for us all to stay informed of the day's events. A person might believe that on a day like this, the phones would be ringing off the hook, but to be honest, we did not receive a lot of telephone calls. I believe that people were looking to the reporters to bring them the information they were seeking about this tragedy. It actually gave our office a chance to deal with our feelings and emotions about what had just happened first and then we were able to help those looking for answers. As minutes turned into hours and hours into days, we slowly came to grips with what had happened, who was involved, and how it affected everyone. When the phone lines started to light up, on the other end of the line was a very angry America. People wanted answers, but mostly, they wanted revenge. Just as we were figuring out how to deal with September 11, another “attack”, the anthrax scare, hit us. Among the first reported cases was in Senator Daschle's Washington D.C. office. That affected our office here in South Dakota. We couldn't receive incoming mail because the government inspected all Senator Daschle's mail. Senator Daschle and his staff were moved out of their offices in Washington to allow for proper cleaning of those buildings. Due to the rerouting of the mail, we, as well as the Washington staff, ere much busier. People were concerned and again wanted answers. These days the office is back on schedule with our daily routines, except that we still can't get mail. It isn't the same office; but then again, nothing will ever be like the days before September 11, 2001. —By Mr. Rod Johnson, BSW Student at Presentation College, Aberdeen, SD (ISP faculty Liaison: Sue Wein). IN THE STATES
DID YOU KNOW
LEGISLATIVE ARENA Schneider and Lester (2001) point out several reasons why social workers stay out of the legislative advocacy arena: limited knowledge of the legislative process; disdain of politics and deal making; impatience regarding the length of time required to make change; a preoccupation on clinical issues and professionalization criteria; and a lack of legislative advocacy in professional educational curricula. Others also report that social workers avoid advocacy because of: a preference for the service role; employment settings prevent them from advocating; a perception that advocacy is always confrontational; a fear of losing status; an awe of politicians; and a fear of the legal/judicial system. While these barriers present formidable obstacles, they are not the most significant one. Social workers stay away from policy advocacy and politics because they do not believe they can make a difference in this arena. They do not feel that they can have an impact on the political process. They feel ineffective. And, of course, if you feel ineffective, you are not likely to participate in policy and politics. The studies by Ezell, 1993; Hamilton and Fauri, 2001; and Wolk, 1996 empirically demonstrate that those social workers who identify themselves as politically efficacious are more politically active. These social workers, small in number, believe that they have the necessary skills and resources to influence the political system. They believe that they can be effective. For the present, we should provide training in advocacy opportunities for practitioners and attempt to impress on social workers how much policy affects their practice and clients. The NASW Code of Ethics also reinforces advocacy. But, exhortations will not suffice and produce action. The profession must design experiential opportunities for social workers to take part in advocacy so that they are left with the actual feeling of making an impact. Programs such as electronic advocacy, Adopt a Legislator or lobbying coalitions must be developed. A long-term commitment must be made by NASW to promote this direction. For the future, we must invest heavily in our students. Faculty can design assignments and field placements that engage the students directly in advocacy. They will experience the rewards and failures and gain the confidence needed to increase their mastery of the system. Experiential activities such as electronic advocacy, giving testimony, lobbying for a bill, speaking to legislators, belonging to a coalition, working with NASW, and electoral campaigns, should all be incorporated into curricula and courses. Ezell, M. (1993). The political activity of social workers: a post-Reagan update. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 20, 81.97. Hamilton, D. and Fauri, D. (2001). Social workers’ political participation: strengthening the political confidence of social work students. Journal of Social Work Education, 37, 321-332. Schneider, R. L. and Lester, L. (2001). Social work advocacy: a new framework for action. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publisher. Wolk, J.L. (1996). Political activity in social work: a theoretical model of motivation. International Social Work, 39, 443-455. BOOK REVIEW What’s Love
Got to Do With It? An American myth persists that, unlike public assistance, our charitable institutions represent true altruism and provide effective service delivery. Our current President, for instance, extols “compassionate conservatism”, denigrates public welfare, and promotes government partnerships with faith-based service providers. Possibly to challenge these assumptions, David Wagner has written What's Love Got to Do With It?: A Critical Look at American Charity (New York: The New Press, 2000). In Wagner's view, love has very little to do with it; in its response to human need, American charity asserts as much power and control as our often derided government assistance programs. Wagner argues that the response of charity to human need is largely sentiment-driven. Christianity has long promoted class inequality and sustained injustice, focusing instead on spiritual resilience as the antidote to hardship. For instance, we admire the determination of Mother Teresa to live among the poor and, accordingly, we assume that simple goodness, a volunteer’s smile, and hearty soup constitute valid responses to misery. By contrast, our society demands resolute action and change in response to stock market volatility, economic downturns, and job losses. The proliferation of charity and nonprofit institutions represent uniquely American approaches to designing solutions to social problems. Less than a century ago, charity organizations, were associated with the Left, the poor, with attempts at confronting social injustice, and with revolutionary calls for change. Now preservation of the nonprofit entity and its corporate and governmental funding dictate stability and social control while assistance is provided which ameliorates symptoms. Charities, far from being the independent entities that most Americans assume, are actually beholden to government funding and, more importantly, to corporate interests. Charities dare not risk addressing root causes. Further, the nonprofit sector often competes unfairly with private entities; nonprofit hospitals, for instance, escape taxes burdening their private counterparts. As in the case of the American Cancer Society, Americans often assume that their charitable donations provide services to those battling cancer. In fact, most major American charities provide little direct client financial assistance, because most moneys are earmarked for research, public awareness, and infrastructure. Service delivery is often limited to counseling and referral to other service providers. The proliferation of non-profits and charity agencies increases funding competition, leads to patchwork service delivery and inefficient overlaps and duplications between agencies. In these operating scenarios, charity becomes far less cost-effective and comprehensive than public assistance. Ironically, given that advocacy represents a central social work tenet, the charitable sector suppresses the advocacy role of its many social workers. Charitable institutions and non-profits now form major social work employment centers. Their self-preservation culture and corporate funding dependence often necessitate silencing protest and discouraging revolt. Social workers confronting class system injustices and corporate excess today may be critiqued for “overly identifying with the client.” Fomenting client rebellion might jeopardize continued agency employment. Wagner looks to the model of some European nations that provide all their citizens with basic health care, childcare, vacations and pensions. In contrast, in our system, "charity, therapy, and correction" (Wagner, p. 178) are seen as the most viable responses to most social problems. Until Americans reject the myth that poverty is linked to deficient morality or character, charity will continue to dispense sentiment while class inequities and economic disparity demand real action. ——Michael Francis, First Year MSW student, Virginia Commonwealth University CQ Press has two titles that may improve your understanding of state policy making: The Third House: Lobbyists and Lobbying in the States by Alan Rosenthal, 2001; and Politics in the American States, 7th Ed., by Virginia Gray, Russell Hanson, and Herbert Jacob, 1999. Visit CQ Press at http://www.cqpress.com. ISP MISSION
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- This page last updated on: Wednesday , January 23, 2008 -
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