American Policy Making: Welfare as RitualRowman & Littlefield, 2002 - 247 páginas American Policy Making will surely create controversy by challenging the prevailing ethos of humanitarianism. Epstein points to the perils of unrestricted subjectivity--the corruption of both social science and social discourse--and argues for a more disciplined approach to policy making. Rather than scientific theory and applied scientific practice, the social sciences have been appropriated to create ideology--corrective myths in support of social denial. The social sciences script fables of cure, prevention, and rehabilitation that falsely testify to the feasibility of inexpensive and culturally compatible solutions to deep social problems. Rather than providing effective service, social welfare programs are rituals of social values, expressing, proselytizing, reaffirming, and strengthening factional preferences. This is a uniquely unsentimental analysis of American social policy-making with great scope and depth, particularly in the personal social services, philosophic and historical dimensions. It is also a bold call to action to create more effective policies for social welfare. |
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Resultados 1-5 de 47
Página vii
... scientific theory . Indeed , political authority , failing to carry its rational virtues into social decision making , is only fashioned after scientific authority . The juxtaposition of the nation's enduring and consistent pol- icy ...
... scientific theory . Indeed , political authority , failing to carry its rational virtues into social decision making , is only fashioned after scientific authority . The juxtaposition of the nation's enduring and consistent pol- icy ...
Página 12
... justified in the language of scientific theory , social policy lacks the credibility of science , and consequently its authority . Social policy is ratio- nalistic , that is , culturally coherent ( " isomorphic 12 Introduction.
... justified in the language of scientific theory , social policy lacks the credibility of science , and consequently its authority . Social policy is ratio- nalistic , that is , culturally coherent ( " isomorphic 12 Introduction.
Página 13
... scientific social theory from the limiting contin- gencies of its tests of truth , creating myths of cultural belief . By severing social theory from its precise meaning , social ideology certifies as a point of political convenience ...
... scientific social theory from the limiting contin- gencies of its tests of truth , creating myths of cultural belief . By severing social theory from its precise meaning , social ideology certifies as a point of political convenience ...
Página 18
... scientific practice , although theoretically possible at times , is an elusive standard in the live context of social serv- ices . As a result , the persistence of most social welfare programs and the occupations that staff them may be ...
... scientific practice , although theoretically possible at times , is an elusive standard in the live context of social serv- ices . As a result , the persistence of most social welfare programs and the occupations that staff them may be ...
Página 20
... scientific credibility . Social dialectics rarely rise to even protorational levels and usually only after social discourse has so nar- rowed the operative issue that policy questions can be decided through empirical evaluation . It ...
... scientific credibility . Social dialectics rarely rise to even protorational levels and usually only after social discourse has so nar- rowed the operative issue that policy questions can be decided through empirical evaluation . It ...
Contenido
Political Theory Ideology and Social Welfare | 25 |
The Willow World of Virtue Rationality and Effectiveness in the Personal Social Services | 47 |
The American Ethos 1 Two Civil Religions | 91 |
The American Ethos 2 America SpeaksThe Pols and Policy Choice | 111 |
The American Ethos 3 Social Welfare Services as Rituals of the Civil Religion | 135 |
Two Romances The Enlightenment and the AntiEnlightenment | 151 |
Science Limited Science and Scientism | 193 |
Conclusion | 211 |
Afterword | 221 |
223 | |
237 | |
About the Author | |
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absolute idealism achieve actual American civil religion American social assumptions attitudes behavioral genetics belief benefits bounded rationality characterological citizens civic contemporary corrective myths created culture customarily defined democracy democratic economic effects elites empiricism ences Enlightenment environment ethos evaluation experience experimental explain failed failure faith foster foster care freedom frequently goals groups human ideals ideology income individual inequalities influence intellectual interventions justify largely ment methodological moral motives natural notably objective operative civil religion outcomes percent perhaps personal social services philosophes political polls poor popular poverty poverty line practice progress psychotherapy public assistance rational choice theory reality reform reported responsibility rituals role Romantic Romanticism satisficing scientifically credible scientism sense Shapiro simply Smith social choice social decision social efficiency social institutions social policy social problems social sciences social welfare policy social welfare provisions spontaneous order studies subcultural tion tradition United values workers