Review of \u3cem\u3eThe Economics of the Welfare State.\u3c/em\u3e Nicholas Barr and The Welfare State. Assar Lundbeck. Reviewed by Henry J. D\u27Souza, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Nicholas Barr. The Economics of the Welfare State. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1993. $59.50 Hardcover,$18.95 papercover

Review of \u3cem\u3eThe Welfare State.\u3c/em\u3e Assar Lindbeck. Reviewed by Henry J. D\u27Souza, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Assar Lindbeck. The Welfare State. Aldershot, England: Edward Elgar. 1993. $62.95 hardcover

Citations and Convictions: One Community’s Coordinated Response to Intimate Partner Violence & Efforts toward Offender Accountability

In 1996, a coordinated community response (CCR) was formally established in a mid-sized Midwestern city to improve the criminal justice response to intimate partner violence (IPV). Data for this study included all IPV-related incidents to which the local police department responded since the establishment of the CCR for a fourteen year period. Effective CCRs provide for IPV offender accountability through citation and prosecution of IPV-related crimes. Concerns about demographic variables affecting citation and prosecution rates have been identified in the literature. Compared to national statistics, gender differences were consistent but higher citation and conviction rates were identified in this community. While differences related to race were found, they were small in size. Although lack of data available from the time prior to the implementation of the CCR model for comparison precludes a definitive conclusion about the effectiveness of the CCR, our findings suggest there is benefit to having one

Progress in a social work writing course: Self-efficacy, course objectives, and skills

Although instructors express concerns about social work students’ writing skills, little research has been conducted. One remedy is a social work-focused writing course. This study assessed a required writing course with a sample of 49 baccalaureate students. From online pre- and post-test surveys, two student outcomes improved significantly: self-reported scores for writing self-efficacy and competence in course objectives. On-demand writing samples improved significantly based on anonymous rating by the course instructors; however, blind ratings found gains but not at a significant level. Improved outcomes were not associated with demographic or background characteristics. We discuss limitations of the study and implications for social work education

Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEWS Poverty amidst affluence: Britain and the United States, Vic George and Irving Howards, Aldershot,England, Edward Elgar Publishers, 1991, Reviewed by James Midgley Separate societies: Poverty and inequality in American cities. William W. Goldsmith and Edward J. Blakely,Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1992, Reviewed by James Midgley The new politics of poverty: The non-working poor in America Lawrence M. Mead, New York, Basic Books, 1992, Reviewed by James Midgley The End of Equality. Mickey Kaus. New York: Basic Books, 1992, Reviewed by David Stoesz The Moral Construction of Poverty: Welfare Reform in America. Joel F. handler and Yeheskel HasenfeldNewbury Park: Sage Publications, 1991, Reviewed by Howard Jacob Karger The Dispossessed: American Underclasses from the Civil War to the Present. Jacqueline Jones, New York: Basic Books, 1992, Reviewed by Henry J. D\u27Souza. 213 Poor Women and Their Families: Hard Working Charity Cases. Beverly Stadum, Albany, New York, State University of New York Press, 1992, Reviewed by Leslie Leighninger From Middle Income to Poor: Downward mobility Among Displaced Steelworkers. Allisojn Zippay, New York, Praeger, 1992, Reviewed by Joel Bla