Based on data from 12 diverse societies, this is the first cross-national comparative study on academic engagement in social policy formulation.
The chapters present survey data on the policy involvement of social work academics in different countries and an analysis of this data by country experts. The findings relate to the levels and types of policy engagement of the social work academics, their perceptions regarding this type of activity and the factors associated with this.
This unique perspective on the academia-society nexus is essential reading for academics and students interested in the ongoing debate on the role of academia in policy, particularly those policies dealing with issues of social justice and social change.
Table of Content
Where academia and policy meet: an introduction ~ Jon Gal and Idit Weiss-Gal
Social work academia and policy in Australia ~ Philip Mendes and Susan Baidawi
Social work academia and policy in China ~ Minchao Jin, Xiao Li, Lei Wu and Jie Lei
Social work academia and policy in Finland ~ Helena Blomberg and Christian Kroll
Social work academia and policy in Germany ~ Andreas Herz and Stefan Köngeter
Social work academics and policy in Israel ~ Idit Weiss-Gal and John Gal
Social work academia and policy in Portugal ~ Francisco Branco
Social work academia and policy in Puerto Rico ~ Gisela Negrón-Velázquez
Social work academia and policy in South Africa ~ Antoinette Lombard
Social work academics and policy in Spain ~ María Asunción Martínez-Román and Miguel Ángel Mateo-Pérez
Social work academia and policy in Sweden ~ Katarina H. Thorén and Pia Tham
Social work academia and policy in the United Kingdom ~ Hugh Mc Laughlin and Jo-Pei Tan
Social work academia and policy in the United States ~ Arati Maleku and Richard Hoefer
Where academia and policy meet: a cross-national perspective ~ Jon Gal and Idit Weiss-Gal
About the author
Idit Weiss-Gal is an associate professor and Head of the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University. She has published extensively on the professional ideologies of social workers, on social work as a profession and on policy practice among social workers.