LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

James Midgley, Harry and Riva Specht Professor
University of California, Berkeley

Harris Chaiklin, Professor, emeritus, School of Social Work
University of Maryland

Wilma Peebles-Wilkins, Dean Emerita, Boston University,
Former Editor, NASW Children and Schools

Jeanne Marsh
Former Editor, Social Work

Michael Sherraden
Editor, Social Development Issues

Howard Karger, Professor, Graduate College of Social Work,
University of Houston

Cheryl A. Hyde, Temple University
Past Editor, Journal of Progressive Human Services

David Stoesz, Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Executive Director, policyAmerica

OUTSIDERS-WITHIN: CRITICAL RACE THEORY, GRADUATE EDUCATION AND BARRIERS TO PROFESSIONALIZATION
CarolAnn Daniel
This article uses the lens of critical race theory to examine the experiences of minority students in and outside of the social work education classroom. Research has not critically analyzed the structures, policies and practices of graduate education programs and how they influence the socialization experiences of students. Qualitative interviews with 15 African American and Latino students reveal that their experiences are often characterized by marginalization and conflict. They suggest that certain aspects of the professionalization process create and support forces that reproduce stratified social relations. These problematic relations have a negative impact on minority students, threatening their persistence and professional development. The perspectives of minority students in their own voices provide critical
insights into actions graduate programs can take to change the quality of student life in predominantly White institutions.

SOCIAL THEORY AND ITS RELATION TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Richard K. Caputo
This essay examines the relationship between social theory and social problems, the truth-value of theories, and the importance of theorizing about the role of the state, i.e., national government, in the resolution of social problems and the achievement of social justice. The author argues that much contemporary social theory has lost its
moorings in regard to amelioration of social problems, that Popper’s criterion of falsification is a requisite for more meaningfully applied social theory, and that the state should be part of any social theory meant to address social problems. Moral and political philosophy is used to provide criteria to justify a positive role for government
to develop and implement policies to achieve a more justice society than would be the case if market mechanisms were deemed the most appropriate arbiter of economic and social exchange. The author concludes with examples of his own theoretically driven and empirically grounded research on social justice to tie together the elaborated themes of social theory, falsification, and retaining the state as an object of theoretical inquiry when addressing social problems.

AMERICAN IDENTITY AND ATTITUDES TOWARD ENGLISH LANGUAGE POLICY INITIATIVES
Carlos Garcia and Loretta E. Bass
Relatively little is known about what individual-level factors drive Americans’ attitudes toward offering services to immigrants. Using national-level data and logistic regressions, we examine what factors co-vary with whether respondents agree or disagree with specific policy initiatives regarding support for English language use for immigrants. We then examine what factors are related to whether respondents agree that tax money should be used to fund English classes for immigrant children and adults. We find that age, race, and general warmth toward undocumented immigrants
predict English-only attitudes, and that marital status, education, and warmth toward undocumented immigrants predict attitudes toward the use of public funds to teach English.

CONTROLLING THE LEVERS OF POWER: HOW ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS AFFECT THE REGULATION WRITING PROCESS
Richard Hoefer and Kristin Ferguson
The Federal regulation-writing process is vital to understanding how laws are translated into policy. This paper re-examines data on human services interest groups active in lobbying the executive branch to determine what factors influence their effectiveness. Building on findings from Hoefer (2000), structural equation modeling is used to re-analyze the original regression model of interest group effectiveness (IGE) on a sample of 127 Washington D.C.-based interest groups. Results indicate that some of the previous findings are not supported and an alternative model is proposed. A group’s position, context and access to information and policymakers emerge as significant determinants of IGE. Access also mediates the impact of a group’s strategy and position on IGE. Implications for practice and future research are provided.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS: LOCAL CHALLENGES TO A UNIVERSAL FRAMEWORK
Karen Morgaine
Over the past 15-20 years there has been a dramatic increase in transnational social movements including the movement to eradicate violence against women. This paper examines the development of the transnational women’s movement and the prioritizing of violence against women (VAW) as a universal women’s agenda using the United Nations (U.N.) human rights conferences as a focal point. As one form of VAW, domestic violence (DV) has been placed into the human rights context by many
organizations globally. The implications and possible limitations of universalizing a framework for DV are explored using salient examples from various areas of the world. It is suggested that the framing of DV as a human rights violation is relevant to social
work in light of social work’s role in the critical analysis of framing of social problems and the emergent movement in the United States for social work to become more internationally-focused.

UNDERMINING PROGRESS IN EARLY 20TH CENTURY NORTH CAROLINA: GENERAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS DELINQUENT AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRLS
Tanya Smith Brice
This article examines efforts made to challenge progress towards adequate service provision for delinquent African American girls in early 20th century North Carolina. This article seeks to explore the nuances of aid, from the African American community
and by progressive whites, as it relates to legislative efforts, economic backing and public health issues. It also seeks to examine motivations for engaging in undermining activities.

SEX PANIC IN THE WELFARE STATE
Benjamin Shepard
2006 marked the tenth anniversary of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The 1996 law was the culmination of decades of erosion in backing for basic provisions of the U.S. social safety net. The following reviews the political campaign that undermined the foundation for this vital component
of the New Deal/Great Society income supports. A series of panics diminished approval for the welfare state, leading to the 1996“reform.” Panic discourse increasingly accompanies policy debate. Examples of anti-welfare, anti-outsider panic discourses are explored.

BOOK REVIEWS
Culture, Capitalism and Democracy in the New America.
Richard Harvey Brown.
Reviewed by Shanti S. Khinduka.

The Logic of Social Research.
Arthur L. Stinchcombe.
Reviewed by Marvin D. Feit.

Quixote’s Ghost: The Right, the Liberati and the Future of Social Policy.
David Stoesz.
Reviewed by Stephen Pimpare.

Work and the Workplace: A Resource for Innovative Policy and Practice.
Sheila H. Akabas and Paul A. Kurzman.
Reviewed by Michalle Mor Barak.

Tending the Gardens of Citizenship: Child Saving in Toronto 1880s-1920s.
Xiaobei Chen.
Reviewed by John M. Herrick.

Managing Diversity: Towards a Globally Inclusive Workplace.
Michalle Mor Barak.
Reviewed by Susan J. Lambert.

BOOK NOTES
Good Parents or Good Workers: How Policy Shapes Families’ Daily Lives.
Jill Duerr Berrick and Bruce Fuller (Eds.).

Backlash Against Welfare Mothers Past and Present.
Ellen Reese

Thriving in the Wake of Trauma: A Multicultural Guide.
Thema Bryant-Davis.

The Immigrant Threat.
Leo Lucassen.

The Experience of Retirement.
Robert S. Weiss.

Widening the Circle: The Practice and Evaluation of Family Group Conferencing with Children, Youths, and their Families.
Joon Pennell and Gary Anderson (Eds.).

Call for Papers:
Recent or Contemporary History of Socia