International Social Welfare

There has been a rapid expansion of interest in international social welfare in recent years. Previously, the study of social welfare was focused on domestic issues and relatively little information about social welfare in other countries was available. Today, journal articles and books on the subject have proliferated, and with the advent of the Internet, it is relatively easy to obtain information about social welfare around the world. This bibliography summarizes some of the most important resources in the field including encyclopedia, handbooks, journals, and books and in some cases, particularly helpful journal articles are also included. Many of these sources address the issue of defining the term “international social welfare” which is still loosely used by scholars. In many cases, related terms such as “comparative social welfare” or “international social policy,” “international social work,” and “international social development” are used. Although the question of definition is discussed in the sources included in the General Overviews and Reference Works sections of this entry, different scholars take different positions on how the field should be defined. Many writings in the field of social policy focus only on government provision while social workers are obviously most concerned with comparing issues of professional practice between different countries. Transcending these narrower approaches, the term “international social welfare” is preferred because of its broad scope as reflected in the following sections. As will be seen, this definition includes governmental provision, professional social work, social development, the role of nonprofits and nonformal welfare institutions. It is hoped that this broad and inclusive perspective will be helpful as the complexities of social welfare around the world are examined. After discussing the most important reference works, textbooks, and journals, it examines different aspects of international social welfare. It begins with a discussion of the concept of globalization which is important for understanding the field and then focuses on the role of the nonformal sector, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations and government. Literature on the gender dimensions of international social welfare and social development is also included. The bibliography concludes with a discussion of international cooperation in social welfare paying particular attention to the work of international organizations.