Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 An Introduction to Human Services: Policy and Practice Approaches to Social Change §This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Demands for Change  Some people work for change through the electoral process, in the belief that only elected leaders can change social policy.  They believe that change “trickles down” from the top.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Demands for Change  Some people have little faith in the electoral process, believing that change occurs by organizing people at the grassroots community level, so that people will pressure officials to be responsive to their demands.  They believe that change “bubbles up” from the bottom.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Strategies for Change §Differing philosophies about change lead to different strategies to achieve change. §Some people combine bottom up and top down approaches, doing both grassroots organizing and lobbying elected officials. §Law suits can be used with either bottom up or top down approaches to change. §Grass roots organizing can force bureaucrats to change policy.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Political Influence §The social and political climate affects the kinds of changes that are possible at any given moment. §A liberal political climate during the 1960s and early 1970s made it possible to organize a national welfare rights movement. §The conservative political climate of the 1980s and 1990s brought about repressive welfare reform. §Conservatives want to privatize Social Security, while liberals oppose that.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Change Agents §Change agents come in two basic models: the in- fighter and the outside agitator. §In-fighters are legitimate members of the established authority who work for or administer a particular system. §Outside agitators are neither employed by nor beholden to any of the established systems. §Both kinds of change agents are needed.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Guarding Social Change §Change must be guarded after it has been won. §If left unattended, a new law or policy can turn out to be totally ineffective. §School desegregation is an example of a law that has met great resistance to implementation. §If a school is segregated and no one complains about it, it is likely to stay that way.

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002 Anti-smoking Campaign Strategy §The anti-smoking campaign used several approaches to change. §They conducted educational campaigns to change people’s consciousness. §At the same time, they worked for laws to prohibit advertising, to ban smoking in many public places, and to place labels on cigarette packages.