Welfare Research: A Critique Of Theory And Method (Social Research Today)

Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Acknowledgements......Page 7
Notes on Contributors......Page 9
Part 1 The Context......Page 13
Introduction......Page 14
The Changing Organization and Delivery of Welfare Provision......Page 15
Changing Political Support for Welfare......Page 16
The Changing Research/Policy Interface......Page 17
The Changing Focus of Welfare Research......Page 18
The ESRC/Rowntree Foundation Welfare Research Programme: 1991–1995......Page 19
New and Old Paradigms of Welfare......Page 21
Old and New Paradigms: A Helpful Dichotomy?......Page 23
The Evidence Base for Welfare Provision......Page 25
The Elements of a New Framework for Welfare Research......Page 26
The Plan of the Book......Page 27
Note......Page 29
Part 2 Concepts......Page 30
Introduction......Page 31
Earlier Critiques of Research on Stress, Social Support and Coping......Page 32
Gender......Page 34
Insight Without Understanding......Page 36
Race, Ethnicity and Class......Page 38
Age......Page 39
Disability......Page 40
Sexuality......Page 41
Gender......Page 42
Socialization or Role Constraint?......Page 43
Power and Control......Page 45
Questions of Identity......Page 47
Race......Page 48
Age......Page 49
Sexuality......Page 50
Disability......Page 51
Assessment and Conclusion......Page 52
Notes......Page 55
The Concepts......Page 57
Life Events......Page 58
Coping......Page 59
Difference and Commonality in Disciplinary Perspectives......Page 60
Psychology......Page 61
Sociology......Page 66
Epidemiology......Page 70
Methodological Issues......Page 73
The Welfare Practitioner and Lay Discourses......Page 74
Practioners’ Discourses......Page 75
Lay Discourses......Page 79
Conclusion—Commonalities and Divergence......Page 81
Part 3 Methods......Page 84
Introduction......Page 85
The Current Status of Qualitative Methods......Page 86
Defining Qualitative Methods......Page 87
Methods of Collecting Data......Page 88
Individuals as the Units of Study......Page 90
Interpreting the Data......Page 92
Grounded Theory......Page 95
Triangulation......Page 98
Qualitative Methodology and the Question of Aetiology......Page 100
Conclusion......Page 101
Introduction......Page 105
The Status of Social Work’s Knowledge......Page 106
What is Social Work?......Page 107
Ethics and Effectiveness......Page 109
Knowledge-base or Knowledge-pile?......Page 110
Grounds for Rapprochement......Page 113
Evaluating Outcomes......Page 114
Concerns about Randomization......Page 117
Judgements on Social Work......Page 118
Notes......Page 119
Part 4 Social Relations of Welfare......Page 121
Introduction......Page 122
Approaches to Welfare Research......Page 123
Differential Constructions of Gender in Research......Page 124
Gender in the Stress, Coping and Social Support Literature......Page 126
Differential Constructions of Welfare......Page 128
The Management of Personal Welfare Research Initiative: Diverse Approaches to Gender......Page 132
A Gendered Approach to Welfare Research: Women and Poverty: An Essential Context for Welfare Research......Page 135
The Study of Violence......Page 138
Towards a More Adequately Gendered Approach: Concluding Comments......Page 145
Acknowledgements......Page 147
Introduction......Page 148
The Studies......Page 149
Women’s Accounts of their Needs......Page 151
Providers’ Accounts of Mothers’ Needs: Support, Self-Esteem and Social-relations......Page 155
Women’s Perspectives: Felt Needs and the Material Reality of Everyday Life......Page 157
Providers’ Perspective: Poverty, Individual Behaviour and Personal Biographies......Page 159
Women’s Perceptions: Accessibility on Providers’ Terms......Page 162
Providers’ Perspectives: Listening, Befriending and Resource Constraint......Page 165
Discussion......Page 168
Acknowledgements......Page 171
Notes......Page 172
Part 5 The Future......Page 173
Polarities, Dichotomies and Balance......Page 174
Normative Guidelines and Resources......Page 178
Assessing Theoretical Adequacy......Page 182
Capacity for Action: Autonomy and Control......Page 183
Capacity for Action: Identity and Experience......Page 185
Subjectivity, Identity and Social Welfare Movements......Page 188
Discourses......Page 190
Risks......Page 193
Mediating Concepts and Dimensions of Theoretical Adequacy: A Summary......Page 196
A New Framework for Welfare Research......Page 198
Concluding Comments......Page 201
References......Page 203
Index......Page 231