With poverty, unemployment, and one-parent families on the rise in most Western democracies, government assistance presents an increasingly urgent and complex problem. This is the first study to explore Canada's family policies in an international context. Maureen Baker looks at the successes and failures of social programs in other countries in search of solutions that might work in Canada. Baker has chosen seven industrialized countries for her comparative study: Australia, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries experience social and economic strains similar to those felt in Canada, and though they share certain policy solutions, major differences in policy remain. Baker considers which of the policies in these countries are most effective in reducing poverty, enhancing family life, and improving the status of women, then applies her findings to the Canadian situation. Bringing together research and statistics from the fields of demography, political science, economics, sociology, women's studies, and social policy, this rich, multidisciplinary study provides a unique resource for anyone interested in Canadian family policy.
Family policy holds a particular status in the quest for a more equitable world as it intersects the rights of women, children, and workers. But despite local and global efforts and initiatives, the state of family policy in different areas of the world varies widely. Through a cross-section of countries on six continents, Family Policies Across the Globe offers the current state of the laws concerning family life, structure, and services, providing historical, cultural, and socioeconomic context. Lucidly written chapters analyze key aspects of family definition, marriage, child well-being, work/family balance, and family assistance, reviewing underlying social issues and controversies as they exist in each country. Details of challenges to implementation and methods of evaluating policy outcomes bring practical realities into sharp focus, and each chapter concludes with recommendations for improvement at the research, service, and governmental levels. The result is an important comparative look at how governments support families, and how societies perceive themselves as they evolve. Among the issues covered: Sierra Leone: toward sustainable family policies. Russia: folkways versus state-ways. Japan: policy responses to a declining population. Australia: reform, revolutions, and lingering effects. Canada: a patchwork policy. Colombia: a focus on policies for vulnerable families. Researchers , professors and graduate students in the fields of social policy, child and family studies, psychology, sociology, and social work will find in Family Policies Across the Globe a reference that will grow in importance as world events continue to develop.
This is the first volume in a series intended to report on the evolution of family policies in Western welfare states (and to compare current provisions). The developments are presented in the context of a report on family change for each of the countries, and with a view of the economic, political, and institutional climates in which they occurred. Topics covered in this book include family formation and current structural patterns, families and the division of labor, the income of families (earnings, taxation, transfer programs), and also the political and institutional contexts for family policy. An extensive bibliography is provided.
This best-selling text integrates the latest research and cutting-edge practice to make an evidence-based case for family policy. It uses examples from around the globe to explain how families support society and how policies support families. The book also moves beyond analysis to action with pragmatic processes and procedures for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of policies by viewing them through the lens of family impact. Highlights of the new edition include: Extensive revisions with many new references and policies that reflect recent changes in the economy, politics, and family forms and familes. Many new learning tools including guiding questions, more tables and figures, chapter glossaries, discussion questions, and chapter summaries. Enhanced global perspective with a new chapter (5) that features what policies nations have put in place to strengthen and support families. A new chapter (8) that views how family considerations can improve the effectiveness of policy decisions on issues such as early childhood care and education, health care, juvenile crime, long-term care, parent education, and welfare reform. A new chapter (11) on what the policy process and policymakers are really like including how a bill becomes a law. A new chapter (12) that provides a theoretical and empirical rationale for viewing issues through the family impact lens and what innovative tools and procedures exist for analyzing the family impact of organizations, policies, programs, and practices. Several chapters that review what professionals can do in the policy arena and how they can foster compromise and common ground. Updated web-based teaching materials including sample syllabi, classroom activities and assignments, daily lesson plans, test questions, instructor insights, video links, web resources, and more. Part 1 highlights what family policy is and why it’s important and how family life in the U.S. differs from other countries. Part 2 examines the contributions family considerations can bring to issues such as early childhood education, health care, juvenile crime, long-term care, and welfare reform. Part 3 explains why polarization has stymied progress in family policymaking and guidelines for fostering compromise. Insights are drawn from the history of family policy over the last century. Part 4 provides strategies for getting involved in family policymaking. It reviews: the processes policymaking institutions use to enact legislation; new techniques for assessing the family impact of policies and programs; strategies for building better public policies; and various professional roles and careers for building family policy. The book concludes with a summary of how and where we go from here. Intended for advanced undergraduate and/or graduate courses in family or social policy taught in human development and family studies, psychology, counseling, social work, sociology, public policy, home economics, consumer science, and education, researchers and practitioners alike appreciate this book’s integration of theory, research, and practice.
Domestic violence does not discriminate and is prevalent throughout the word regardless of race, age or socio-economic status. Why, then, do reactions and response differ so widely throughout the world? While some countries work diligently to address the matter through prevention and training, others take a ‘hands-off’ approach in their response. This book is one of the first to investigate domestic violence on a global scale and provides best practices gleaned from various countries around the world to paint a detailed picture of how police response to domestic violence is currently being conducted and provide training bodies with up-to-date information to enhance current curricula. Domestic Violence in International Context brings together expert scholars native to twelve different countries to examine the history and scope of domestic violence and how it is being addressed, repressed or ignored in their thirteen respective countries. Their specialised knowledge and unique data come together to create a series of snapshots that will guide nations, societies and communities worldwide in formulating effective strategies to prevent, intervene and combat this epidemic, and examine partnerships and programmes already in place. This book is essential reading for practitioners, policy makers, and human rights organisations, as well as students and scholars of criminology, social work, sociology and law.
In this book, sociology professor John F. Conway looks at families past, present and future and examines the changing nature of family. Figures from the first decade of the new milennium tell us that one marriage in two may well end in divorce. Conway considers the implications of divorce, the impact of social changes on men, women and children, and suggests how these issues might be better addressed through family policy. The new edition addresses the harsh new reality facing Canadian families, especially those most vulnerable as a result of the crisis of the family. The Canadian Family in Crisis is the first book to examine the drastic changes in the Canadian family over the last thirty years.
The landscape of Canadian fatherhood has changed dramatically over the past several decades. Shifting family structures, policy issues, and cultural expectations affect men’s interactions with their children and influence the way they perceive their own roles as fathers. The traditional notion of fatherhood may have changed, but fathers are as important today as ever before. Father Involvement in Canada brings together more than a dozen leading scholars of fatherhood issues to examine the roles of Canadian fathers from many angles. Looking at the experiences of fathers from different ethnicities, age groups, marital statuses, gender partnering, and economic brackets, the authors examine issues such as the impact of poverty, access to paternity leave, and the availability of support from social institutions. National in scope, this is the first book of its kind to summarize and challenge current scholarship on Canadian fatherhood and offer new concepts, theoretical frameworks, and research directions.
The discredit of a certain brand of capitalism – and the managers that practice it – continues apace. The increasing lack of tolerance for short-term thinking and a systematic neglect of the social, regulatory, and economic conditions in which business ought to operate means we are entering a time of trouble and questions – an era of economic, social, and environmental turbulence. There is a critical need for business educators and trainers to expose students and managers to these issues to examine, explore, and understand the different multifaceted, complex phenomena of our late capitalist era. There is also a need to foster a climate for future and current business managers to reflect, feel, and think differently both ethically and cognitively. The 16 innovative case studies in The Dark Side: Critical Cases on the Downside of Business are designed for this very purpose: to provoke reflection and debate; to challenge and change perceptions; and to create responsible managers. The cases are innovative in two ways. First, in terms of content they acknowledge the diversity of actors and interests in and around organizations. They contain different levels of analysis, and propose different points of view and logics. They recognize that decisions that seem sound when they are made may actually contain the seeds of their later failure. Second, these cases are innovative in terms of format. Whereas most cases are formatted around decision-making situations, these are more diverse and open-ended. This stimulates the use of "judgment" – the capacity to synthesize, integrate, and balance short- and long-term effects, appreciate effects on different groups, and learn to listen and evaluate. Whereas decision-making is the key skill when confronting complicated issues and situations, "judgment-making" relies on experience and is a far better tool in the complex, murky, gray areas typical of business ethics. The cases included here are all finalists or award-winners from the first seven years of the Dark Side of Business Case Competition, a joint event of the Academy of Management's Critical Management Studies Section and Management Education Section. In many areas of management, case studies are almost exclusively devoted to "best practice" cases or difficult decisions faced by basically well-managed firms. When educators look for resources to illustrate to students the more typical cases, let alone the really scandalous practices of the worst firms, the cupboard is almost entirely bare. From the beginning, the Dark Side competition aimed at encouraging case studies that integrate socio-political issues with organizational dynamics, thus contextualizing organizational and management problems within the broader system of capitalism. These cases comprise a diverse and rich collection from a range of countries, continents, and issues and focus on interactions in business organizations as well as between business organizations and groups and societies. The Dark Side: Critical Cases on the Downside of Business is divided into four sections. The first sheds light on gray areas in the behavior of businesses. The second concerns the interactions between business and local communities in diverse countries. The third concerns crises, and specifically how firms may create or manage them. Finally, the fourth section concerns gray areas in business behavior in the global context. The Dark Side: Critical Cases on the Downside of Business will be an essential purchase for educators and is expected to be a widely used resource at all levels of management education.Online Teaching Notes to accompany each chapter are available on request with the purchase of the book.
This popular resource addresses all areas of family health with an emphasis on promoting health and wellness and family self-care. Formerly known as Nurses and Family Health Promotion, this new edition is now entitled Promoting Health in Families, indicating a more proactive approach to working with families. Five new chapters reflect the changing dimensions of family health care and family life. In addition, the new edition introduces an international perspective, recognizing the commonalities of family life across cultures and features special boxes addressing family health promotion issues in Canada. Presents a unique focus on health promotion and illness prevention for families. Addresses all major areas of family life, such as culture, roles, communication, stress management, nutrition, spirituality, sexuality, and recreation. Provides a theoretical and historical perspective of family health and family nursing. Focuses on the nursing process in the discussion of family care, especially specific interventions to use when working with families. Emphasizes key information through pedagogical features such as chapter objectives and chapter highlights. A diverse contributor panel includes experts from all areas of family health, both within nursing and in other health disciplines. Unique! A new chapter, Family Health Promotion During Life Threatening Illness and End of Life (Chapter 18), addresses families experiencing life-threatening illnesses and the end-of-life stage. Unique! A new chapter, Health Promotion of Families in Rural Settings (Chapter 20), describes the unique health care issues of families who live in rural settings. Theoretical Foundations for Family Health Nursing Practice (Chapter 4) presents an overview of the theories specific to family nursing. Using the Nursing Process with Families (Chapter 10) is devoted to all stages of the nursing process as applied to families. Family Health Promotion and Family Nursing in the New Millennium (Chapter 22) discusses the state of family health at the beginning of the twenty-first century and the potential effect of current and future trends. Unique! Canadian Perspective boxes highlight family nursing care practices in Canada, providing an international Perspective. Unique! Critical Thinking Activities challenge students to apply chapter content in practice settings. Promotes family health promotion research studies in Research Synopsis boxes. Presents and discusses "real-life" family health situations through Case Scenarios boxes. Offers more assessment tools that provide guidance for nurses as they assess and determine interventions for families in their care.
