The Political and Social Construction of Poverty

The Political and Social Construction of Poverty
Author: Serena Romano
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2014-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1447312716

This book is the first to examine the social and political construction of anti-poverty programs in Central and Eastern Europe, which has faced serious hardships as it has transitioned from communist rule to capitalism beset by economic crisis. It explores a range of different attitudes held about poverty-stricken people and illustrates how the distinction between deserving and undeserving poor has evolved over the years, effected by external pressures from groups like the European Union and World Bank. By examining poverty policies against the commonly held attitudes about the poor that have influenced them, Serena Romano offers a new understanding of the many ways that different post-communist welfare states have dealt with—and understood—citizens facing economic hardship.

The Political and Social Construction of Poverty

The Political and Social Construction of Poverty
Author: Romano, Serena
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2014-01-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1447312732

Poverty is not a neutral phenomenon, nor are social inclusion programmes neutrally conceived, designed and implemented.Their ultimate nature is built upon ideas, values, actors, politics and economic constraints.This topical book is one of the first to examine the social and political construction of anti-poverty programmes in Central Eastern Europe and their transformation from communist rule to the current economic crisis. It covers the approach towards the ‘parasite’ poor through to Guaranteed Minimum Income Schemes and illustrates how the distinction between different categories of ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor has evolved over the years as the result of changing paradigms, combined with the pressure exerted by domestic and international actors, the European Union and the World Bank among others. This text breaks new ground for social policy students and scholars interested in understanding how differently post-communist welfare states have represented, legitimised and dealt with poverty, need and social justice in accordance with divergent normative frameworks constructed at national level.

The Social Construction of Reality

The Social Construction of Reality
Author: Peter L. Berger
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2011-04-26
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1453215468

A watershed event in the field of sociology, this text introduced “a major breakthrough in the sociology of knowledge and sociological theory generally” (George Simpson, American Sociological Review). In this seminal book, Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann examine how knowledge forms and how it is preserved and altered within a society. Unlike earlier theorists and philosophers, Berger and Luckmann go beyond intellectual history and focus on commonsense, everyday knowledge—the proverbs, morals, values, and beliefs shared among ordinary people. When first published in 1966, this systematic, theoretical treatise introduced the term social construction,effectively creating a new thought and transforming Western philosophy.

Sustaining Civil Society

Sustaining Civil Society
Author: Philip Oxhorn
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2011
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0271048948

"Devoting particular emphasis to Bolivia, Chile, and Mexico, proposes a theory of civil society to explain the economic and political challenges for continuing democratization in Latin America"--Provided by publisher.

Understanding Theories and Concepts in Social Policy

Understanding Theories and Concepts in Social Policy
Author: Ruth Lister
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2024-02-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1447338391

Demonstrating the relevance of theory to political and policy debates and practice, this lively and accessible second edition helps students to grasp the real-life implications of social policy theory. The updated text includes consideration of contemporary shifts in welfare ideologies in the context of global austerity and the UK Coalition and Conservative governments since 2010. With a new chapter focusing on critical debates about disability, sexuality and the environment, this textbook also includes fresh reflections on migration, conditionality, resilience, social justice and human rights. Key features include: • real-life examples from UK and international politics and policy to explain and illuminate the significance of social policy theory; • key questions for student reflection and engagement; and • bulleted chapter summaries and annotated further readings at the end of every chapter. This new edition is a dynamic, engaging and valuable introduction to the key theoretical perspectives and concepts deployed in social policy.

Embodying the Social

Embodying the Social
Author: Esther Saraga
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2005-08-17
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1134676948

This book opens the series with a consideration of the social construction of social difference. Taking the body as the point of departure, it deals with the processes through which social problems and social inequalities are constructed. In particular, it examines the shifting ways in which our ideas about issues such as 'disability', 'race' and ethnicity, and sexuality influence the development of social policies.

Re-thinking Mobility Poverty

Re-thinking Mobility Poverty
Author: Tobias Kuttler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2020-12-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1000289508

This book seeks to better conceptualise and define mobility poverty, addressing both its geographies and socio-economic landscapes. It moves beyond the analysis of ‘transport poverty’ and innovatively explores mobility inequalities and social construction of mobility disadvantages. The debate on mobility poverty is gaining momentum due to its role in triggering social exclusion and economic deprivation. In this light, this book examines the social construction of mobility poverty by delving into mobility patterns and needs as they are differently experienced by social groups in different geographical situations. It considers factors such as the role of transport regimes and their social value when analysing the social construction of individual ́s mobility needs. Furthermore, the gaps between articulated and unarticulated needs are identified by observing actual travel patterns of individuals. The book offers a comparison of the global phenomenon through fieldwork conducted in six different European countries – Greece, Portugal, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania and Germany. This book will be useful reading for planners, sociologists, geographers, mobility/transport researchers, mobility advocates, policy-makers and transport practitioners. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367333317, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

The Social Construction of Community Care

The Social Construction of Community Care
Author: Anthea Symonds
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 327
Release: 1998-11-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1349141070

This book represents a new development in the discussion of community care policies with its integrated approach addressed to both community nurses and social workers. It includes contributions from practitioners in both fields, as well as lecturers and researchers in sociology and social policy. The overall theme of the book is the concept of 'community' as a social and cultural construction. The authors begin with an account of the historical construction of community care, followed by explorations of the actual practice of the delivery of care and of the needs of particular groups within the community.

The Social Construction of What?

The Social Construction of What?
Author: Ian Hacking
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2000-11-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0674254279

Lost in the raging debate over the validity of social construction is the question of what, precisely, is being constructed. Facts, gender, quarks, reality? Is it a person? An object? An idea? A theory? Each entails a different notion of social construction, Ian Hacking reminds us. His book explores an array of examples to reveal the deep issues underlying contentious accounts of reality. Especially troublesome in this dispute is the status of the natural sciences, and this is where Hacking finds some of his most telling cases, from the conflict between biological and social approaches to mental illness to vying accounts of current research in sedimentary geology. He looks at the issue of child abuse—very much a reality, though the idea of child abuse is a social product. He also cautiously examines the ways in which advanced research on new weapons influences not the content but the form of science. In conclusion, Hacking comments on the “culture wars” in anthropology, in particular a spat between leading ethnographers over Hawaii and Captain Cook. Written with generosity and gentle wit by one of our most distinguished philosophers of science, this wise book brings a much needed measure of clarity to current arguments about the nature of knowledge.