Introduction
Social justice is organized on a continuum of philosophies that range from conservative and individualistic in nature to the liberal, communal viewpoint. In other words, just as President Barack Obama subscribes to a particular model of social justice, so too did former President George W. Bush. We must recognize that we may disagree with one particular philosophy, but that does not negate the fact that every person has her or his particular perspective of social justice. A social policy is a direct, public expression of the dominant, accepted model of social justice. For example, the maximum SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, aka âfood stampsâ) payment was $526 for a three-person family between October 2011 and September 2012; this translates to approximately $17 per day. Do you feel this is a fair and just amount? Or, is this too much financial support that only encourages dependency? Or, is this amount too low given the costs to purchase a basic nutritionally sound diet? Can the United States afford to increase funding to SNAP? Some might say ânoâ because of the growing deficit and national debt. Yet others might say âyesâ because we are choosing to fund SNAP at a lower level while funding other programs at higher levels. In other words, policy outcomes involve choices made through political decisions based on the dominant values.
The core mission of the social work profession is the promotion of social, economic, and political justice for all people. Communities built on the principles of justice provide its members with opportunities to fully participate and share benefits in a fair and equitable manner. Although this is a noble ideal, the reality is very different, as disparities continue to plague people and nations around the world.
In 1978, more than 130 nations met under the leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the International Conference of Alma-Ata, and addressed one global social issueâhealth care. The group envisioned that by the year 2000 a global effort would result in health care for all people. The conference's report forthrightly stated, âInequality in the health status of people, particularly between developed and developing countries, as well as within countries, is politically, socially, and economically unacceptableâ (Declaration of Alma-Ata, 2006).
In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Declaration that resulted in eight development areas with the ultimate purpose to eliminate extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and disease by 2015 (United Nations, 2000 and United Nations, 2011a).
Clearly, there have beenâand continue to beâsignificant global efforts, with laudable goals, to close the gaps between the rich and poor. Even so, the gulf that separates the so-called haves and have-nots remains wide and deep, reported as follows:
- WHO points to progress that has been made in achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals, yet in 2010, they found that 115 million children under 5 years of age worldwide are underweight (World Health Organization Statistics, 2011a, p. 12).
- UNAIDS writes that âThe year 2011 marks 30 years of AIDS. In that time, AIDS has claimed more than 25 million lives and more than 60 million people have become infected with HIV. Still, each day, more than 7,000 people are newly infected with the virus, including 1,000 childrenâ (United Nations, March 2011b, p. 1).
- In 2011, 43 percent of American households, approximately 127.5 million people, are considered to be âliquid-asset poorâ (Eichler, 2012).
- The WHO reports that, in 2008, noncommunicable diseases continued to increase to 36 million persons, up from 35 million in 2004 (World Health Organization, p. 9).
- Measles, one of the leading causes of child death, dropped by 78 percent worldwide between 2000 and 2008; yet, in 2008, there were 164,000 measles deaths globallyânearly 450 deaths every day or 18 deaths every hour (World Health Organization, 2011b, p. 1).
- The World Bank reports that extreme povertyâliving on $1.50 or lower per dayâdropped worldwide to 22 percent of the developing world's population or 1.29 billion people, compared to 43 percent in 1990 and 52 percent in 1981 (World Bank, 2012, p. 1).
The human, economic, and societal costs of ill health and poverty are immense. Millions of people unnecessarily die prematurely from preventable and curable diseases, while poverty continues to anchor people in social ills that are unimaginable. With relatively little costs for simple interventions, people could live longer, more productive lives. But for millions of people worldwide, in the north and south, in the east and west, justice and fairness remain unattainable and are mere abstracts in their world. Data on many indicators, such as poverty, educational attainment, literacy, safe housing, clean water, life expectancy, and violence, lead to a common conclusion: True justice is far from being realized.
Social workers confront horrific problems on a daily basis that reflect the broad range of social issues that plague and threaten the lives of people and weaken our civil structures. Central to the social work profession's mission is its work with and on behalf of the most vulnerable, at-risk, and marginalized persons in our communities. Reamer (1993) writes that social workers confront the most compelling issues of our time by working with clients, and from these individual and collective experiences a unique perspective grows (p. 195). Social workers are able to translate this practice wisdom into a powerful tool to influence public policy. Simply stated, practice informs policy by shaping its form and structure. By including policy practice in one's work, according to Hagen (2000), social workers are able âto serve clients more effectively and to promote justice at all government levelsâ (p. 555).
Policy creates a community's context of justice in how it approaches the provision of social services. Public and private organizations, nonprofit and voluntary associations implement policies, which in turn are âexperienced by individuals and familiesâ (Jansson, 1999, p. 1). Similarly, policy is vital to the social worker by specifying the type and level of service the practitioner is able to provide. Policy is a formal statement articulating rules and regulations that reflect values, beliefs, data, traditions, discussions, debates, and compromises of the body politic. Policy carries out multiple functions, ranging from crafting the broad framework in which a program or service evolves to detailing the available services.
Social welfare policies, which are a subset of the broader social policy arena, focus on issues that are controversial and the epicenter for many debates. Discussions on radio call-in shows and television panel shows are replete with welfare matters, ranging from immigration and border issues to women's health care and reproductive rights. The 2012 presidential primary race was filled with attacks on social issues and policies directed to amend the growing inequalities faced by the young and old and, in particular, women. Sadly, the tenor of the arguments and controversies themselves are not new. Throughout American history, political leaders have staked out their positions relating to welfare, such as the following:
- Benjamin Franklin: âI am for doing good for the poor, but I differ in opinion about the means.⌠The more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves and the poorer they became.⌠On the contrary, the less that was done for them, the more they did for themselves.â (The Writings of Benjamin Franklin)
- President Franklin Roosevelt: âThe Federal Government must and shall quit this business of relief. I am not willing that the vitality of our people be further sapped.⌠We must preserve not only the bodies of the unemployed from destitution but also their self-respect, their self-reliance and courage and determination.â (State of the Union address)
- President John F. Kennedy: âWelfareâŚmust be more than a salvage operation, picking up the debris from the wreckage of human lives. Its emphasis must be directed increasingly toward prevention and rehabilitation.⌠Poverty weakens individuals and nations.â (Woolley and Peters)
- President Lyndon B. Johnson: âUnfortunately, many Americans live on the outskirts of hopeâsome because of their poverty, and some because of their color, and all too many because of both. Our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity. This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all Americans to join with me in that effort.â (public papers)
- President Ronald Reagan: âI have never questioned the need to take care of people who, through no fault of their own, can't provide for themselves. The rest of us have to do that. But I am against open-ended welfare programs that invite generation after generation of potentially productive people to remain on the dole; they deprive the able-bodied of the incentive to work and require productive people to support others who are physically and mentally able to work while prolonging an endless cycle of dependency that robs men and women of their dignity.â (RonaldReagan.com)
The social work profession, through its professional membership associations, has a long history of engaging in policy development to provide justice-based social welfare policies. As Haynes and Mickelson (2000) write, âalthough social workers have been influential in the political arena, politics has not consistently been a central arena for social work practice. Consequently, a historic and ongoing dynamic...
