/* 3763L-5, Gilbert, Neil, Dimensions of Social Welfare Policy, 5/e*/ This social welfare policy book provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for the analysis of social welfare policy. The book illustrates theoretical points by offering examples from a cross-section of program areas including income maintenance, child welfare, model cities, day care, community action, and mental health. The book also shows how social theories and individual versus collective value orientations influence policies. For social workers, or students studying social welfare policy.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Much too american for the Canadian Social Worker
Comment: I purchased this very expensive, yet thin paperback text for a social policy University course. The book is well written, but the perspectives are so American that I question the usefulness for a Canadian student of the subject.

The text is certainly updated, including a lot of glowing statistics about work-for-welfare programmes. The authors also use the words "unwed mother" and "Out of wedlock". These terms were thankfully exiled from the common social work language about 20 years ago, on this side of the border.

Oh yes and let's not forget the glowing stats,for abstinence- only sex education. Don't get me wrong there are lots of perspectives offered in the text but I'm accustomed to social work texts which approach material from a Social Work values perspective, which does not usually give a lot of ink to conservatives.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Comment: Given the history of this book, it is almost a classic. No course on Welfare policy could not refer to it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: On of the best introductions to social work policy ever.
Comment: This is an excellent book. I've used it in undergraduate (and graduate) courses here at the University of Chicago and have been VERY pleased with the result. Colleagues at Berkeley (where Professors Terrell and Gilbert teach) use it as well. It is quite possibly the most complete text on the subject I've ever used

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