Conflict Theory for Macro Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan P. Robbins ◽  
George S. Leibowitz
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Group Theory ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Conflict Theory ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Class Conflict ◽  
Power Elite ◽  
Macro Practice

Conflict theory encompasses several theories that share underlying assumptions about interlocking systems of oppression and how they are maintained. The relevance of Marx’s theory of class conflict, C. Wright Mills’s power elite, and pluralist interest group theory are all important to understand and address social and economic gaps and informing policy for macro practice. Conflict theory can provide an understanding of health disparities, racial differences in mortality rates, class relationships associated with negative outcomes, poverty, discrimination in criminal justice, as well as numerous factors that are broadly associated with inequality embedded in social structures. Social workers play a significant role in addressing disparities in research, curricula, primary and secondary intervention, and public policy, and conflict theory can provide the framework necessary to enrich this understanding.

What is to be done about capability-promoting policies?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Uwe Otto ◽  
Melanie Walker ◽  
Holger Ziegler
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Critical Social Science

This book has examined how the capability approach provides a politically normative metric for the critical analysis of policies and public policy structures, as well as policy interventions driven by human development or human security concerns. It has demonstrated that existing social structures and institutions play a key role in the realisation of capabilities or the feasibility of human flourishing. This chapter summarises the book's main arguments and considers new principles and aspirations towards capability-promoting policy. It argues that an alliance with the tradition of critical social science may ‘secure’ the capabilities approach, with its analytic focus on real-world conditions and requirements for renegotiating social justice and creating more capabilities-promoting policies, and vice versa. Capability-promoting policies include emancipatory and democratic strategies that transform unjust structures in order to enhance the agency of individual subjects in terms of human flourishing.

Raising Twin Babies and Problems in the Family

1990 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Emotional Disturbance ◽  
Marital Relationship ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
First Year ◽  
The Family ◽  
Inadequate Sleep

AbstractOut of 296 mothers of twins interviewed about difficulties encountered while rearing twins, 49% mentioned inadequate sleep, 18% financial strain, 39% emotional disturbance, 22% disturbance in the marital relationship, and 43% lack of time to take care of other children. With the growth of twins, the problems gradually decreased, except for emotional disturbance, the most difficult period being the first year. Only 15% reported leaving the babies in the care of relatives during the day time. Overall, 68.2% felt the support from the father, but 39% of them felt the support was useless; 49% felt support from the mother-in-law, but 43% of them regarded the mother-in-law to be of no help; 36% were supported by their own mothers, but 54% mentioned that they had received little help. One must conclude that social support from relatives was inadequate. Public policy should take this fact into account and provide public health nurses and social workers to help the mothers of twins, especially during the first year.

scholarly journals EXCESS DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES AND BY COVID-19 IN BRAZIL IN 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alcione Miranda dos Santos ◽  
Bruno Feres de Souza ◽  
Carolina Abreu de Carvalho ◽  
Marcos Adriano Garcia Campos ◽  
Bruno Luciano Carneiro Alves de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Racial Differences ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Excess Mortality ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
External Causes ◽  
Log Linear ◽  
Restrictive Measures ◽  
Excess Deaths

SUMMARYObjectiveTo estimate the 2020 all-cause and COVID-19 excess mortality according to sex, age, race/color, and state, and to compare mortality rates by selected causes with that of the five previous years in Brazil.MethodsData from the Mortality Information System were used. Expected deaths for 2020 were estimated from 2015 to 2019 data using a negative binomial log-linear model.ResultsExcess deaths in Brazil in 2020 amounted to 13.7%, and the ratio of excess deaths to COVID-19 deaths was 0.90. Reductions in deaths from cardiovascular diseases (CVD), respiratory diseases, and external causes, and an increase in ill-defined causes were all noted. Excess deaths were also found to be heterogeneous, being higher in the Northern, Center-Western, and Northeastern states. In some states, the number of COVID-19 deaths was lower than that of excess deaths, whereas the opposite occurred in others. Moreover, excess deaths were higher in men, in those aged 20 to 59, and in black, yellow, or indigenous individuals. Meanwhile, excess mortality was lower in women, individuals aged 80 years or older, and in whites. Additionally, deaths among those aged 0 to 19 were 7.2% lower than expected, with reduction in mortality from respiratory diseases and external causes. There was also a drop in mortality due to external causes in men and in those aged 20 to 39 years. Furthermore, reductions in deaths from CVD and neoplasms were noted in some states and groups.ConclusionThere is evidence of underreporting of COVID-19 deaths and of the possible impact of restrictive measures in the reduction of deaths from external causes and respiratory diseases. The impacts of COVID-19 on mortality were heterogeneous among the states and groups, revealing that regional, demographic, socioeconomic, and racial differences expose individuals in distinct ways to the risk of death from both COVID-19 and other causes.

scholarly journals Covid-19: Comparisons by Country and Implications for Future Pandemics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis E. Mehl-Madrona ◽  
Francois Bricaire ◽  
Adrian Cuyugan ◽  
J. Barac ◽  
Asadullah Parvaiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Lower Mortality ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Northern European ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Very High ◽  
Better Than

Background. We set out in this paper to compare Covid-19 results by country to better understand the factors leading to the differing results found internationally. Methods. We used publicly available large datasets to explore differences by the country for Covid-19 mortality statistics. We continuously challenged our projections with reality and numbers from countries around the world, allowing us to refine our models and better understand the progression of the epidemic. All our predictions and findings were discussed and validated from a clinical viewpoint. Results. While no lockdown resulted in higher mortality, the difference between strict lock-down and a lax lockdown was not terribly different and favored lax lockdown. Only one of the top 44 countries had long and strict restrictions. Strict restrictions were more common in the worst-performing countries in terms of Covid mortality. The United States had the largest economic growth coupled with the largest rate of mortality. Those who did well economically had lower mortality and less pressure on their population. Yet they had less mortality than average and less than their neighbors. Conclusions. Countries with the least restrictions fared best economically. Some of them fared well in terms of mortality, even better than neighboring countries with similar social structures and more severe restrictions. The mortality rates in the USA, however, appeared to suffer from very high obesity rates. Norway and the northern European countries have less strict restrictions from the rest of Europe and had lower mortality rates. COVID-19 mortality was associated with vitamin D status.

scholarly journals Is There A Place For Us? Social Workers of Color As Outside Agitators Within the Profession

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 978-988
Author(s):  
Michael Rangel
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Predominantly White ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Communities Of Color

The outside agitator narrative has been used to discredit and harm people of color for decades. Currently, it is being used as a forceful tactic to separate the movement for Black lives from the broader narrative that racism is deeply rooted in American social structures, institutions, and everyday life. This article examines the implications of how the profession of social work has similarly and simultaneously maintained a culture of white supremacy and racist ideologies in our work. As outsiders in a predominantly white profession, social workers of color act as outside agitators when dispelling myths and practices used in and for communities of color. By centering the lived experiences and knowledge of social workers of color, all social workers can increase their awareness of racism within our profession and work together to dismantle the culture of racism and white supremacy that persists within social work.

scholarly journals A Survey of the Nexus between the Group Theory in Public Policy-Making; and Diplomacy and Diplomatic Practices; and Its Impact on International Public Administration

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 139-165
Author(s):  
Peter SAKWE MASUMBE
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Group Theory ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Domestic Politics ◽  
Research Purpose ◽  
Public Policy Making ◽  
Realist Theory ◽  
Domain I

This article seeks to discern the nexus between the group theory in public policy-making in domestic politics; and diplomacy and diplomatic practices in international relations. Apparently, diplomacy and diplomatic practices, though strands of international relations, pivot on group theory’s doctrines. Herein, I argue that, there exist a nexus between the group theory, diplomacy and diplomatic practices, which fashions the character of international public administration. Given the literature dearth in this domain, I offer a framework based on Charles Lindblom’s Incrementalism and the Realist Theory to show how the nexus between the group theory of domestic politics; and diplomacy and diplomatic practices impacts international public administration. The research purpose is to boost deeper theoretical and empirical understanding of public administration, since the group theory aims at causing group equilibrium amongst competing groups in domestic politics;  while diplomacy promotes group’s (state)  interest (power) over another group’s (state) interest (power) in international politics.  

Discrimination

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra DeLoach McCutcheon
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Economic Justice ◽  
The Relationship

Social workers have a responsibility to challenge discrimination and promote social and economic justice. To fulfill this responsibility, it must be understood how discrimination exists and the detrimental affect it has on the relationship between individuals who are disenfranchised (targeted groups) and individuals who have privilege, resources, and power (advantaged groups) (Hardiman & Jackson, 2007). This entry will present an overview of discrimination, define the various forms of discrimination, present public policy and legislation regarding discrimination, and discuss implications for social workers and the profession.

Macro Social Work Practice

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Ellen Netting
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Macro Practice ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Macro Social Work ◽  
Policy Arenas

Macro social work practice includes those activities performed in organizational, community, and policy arenas. Macro practice has a diverse history that reveals conflicting ideologies and multiple theoretical perspectives. Programmatic, organizational, community, and policy dimensions of macro practice underscore the social work profession's emphasis on using a person-in-environment perspective. Thus, social workers, regardless of roles played, are expected to have sensitivity toward and engage in macro practice activities.

Who Controls Criminal Law? Racial Threat and the Adoption of State Sentencing Law, 1975 to 2012

2020 ◽  
pp. 000312242096764
Author(s):  
Scott W. Duxbury
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Public Support ◽  
State Level ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Sentencing Policy

Threat theory argues that states toughen criminal laws to repress the competitive power of large minority groups. Yet, research on threat suffers from a poor understanding of why minority group size contributes to social control and a lack of evidence on whether criminal law is uniquely responsive to the political interests of majority racial groups at all. By compiling a unique state-level dataset on 230 sentencing policy changes during mass incarceration and using data from 257,362 responses to 79 national surveys to construct new state-level measures of racial differences in punitive policy support, I evaluate whether criminal sentencing law is uniquely responsive to white public policy interests. Pooled event history models and mediation analyses support three primary conclusions: (1) states adopted new sentencing policies as a nonlinear response to minority group size, (2) sentencing policies were adopted in response to white public, but not black public, support for punitive crime policy, and (3) minority group size and race-specific homicide victimization both indirectly affect sentencing policy by increasing white public punitive policy support. These findings support key theoretical propositions for the threat explanation of legal change and identify white public policy opinion as a mechanism linking minority group size to variation in criminal law.

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