This book, first published in 1983, considers the whole problem of how social research can lead to improvement in practice in social policy and social work. In the first section, individual chapters discuss the political context within which research is commissioned and used, through consideration of the politics of comparative research and of the application of research findings to policy-making in the personal social services. The problems of putting policy into practice and using research in a systematic and predictable way for improving situation is also examined. This title will be of interest to students of the Sociology, Education and Social Policy.

Foreword - John Spencer: An Appreciation Susan Sinclair; Part One: Research and Policy-Making; 1. Comparative Social Policy and the Politics of Comparison Roy Parker 2. Research and Policy in the Personal Social Services Olive Stevenson 3. Law Reform and Social Change: Community and Society, SOCIAL Work and Social WORK Hans Mohr; Part Two: Policy and Practice; 4. Knowledge and City Planning: A Case Study of the Role of the Environmental Health Officer Norman Dennis 5. Anomie, Ritualism and Inertia among Custodial Staff in Canadian Prisons: Some Implications for Research and Policy Terence Willett 6. The Myth of Preventing Delinquency through Early Identification and Intervention Jack Byles 7. Theory and Practice in Juvenile Justice: The Phenomenological Paradigm Stewart Asquith 8. Orientations to the Meaning of Help: Research and Implications Ben Shapiro 9. Social Work, Policy, Government and Research: A Mildly Optimistic View Gilbert Smith; Part Three: Conclusions; 10. Policy, Practice and Research: An Overview Alex Robertson and John Gandy