International Social Work : Professional Action in an Interdependent World

International Social Work: Professional Action in an Independent World provides a comprehensive introduction to international social work. Two main themes, global interdependence and professional action, provide the context for examination of social work history, values, policy, practice, and education in global perspective. The author's four-part definition of international social work emphasizes competence for professional action in international aspects of domestic practice and policy, professional exchange, international development practice, and policy formulation and advocacy at the global level. Each of these roles is examined in depth. The economic, cultural, environmental, and social welfare implications of global interdependence are addressed through discussion of structural adjustment and the debt crisis, resource utilization, migration, HIV/AIDS, poverty, and rights of women and children. A chapter on value and ethical dilemmas considers how context influences the ways in which social issues are approached. Case examples, drawn from a wide variety of countries, are used throughout the book to illustrate the concepts. Country examples are drawn from Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. The book conludes with exploration of universal concepts for social work around the world: social development, human rights, multiculturalism, social exclusion, sustainability, and security.