New Handbook Explains How Social Policy Becomes Practice

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 28, 2003-A new Urban Institute Press book by leading social welfare policy analysts and program administrators offers state of the art thinking on how social policy changes are translated into practice. Policy Into Action: Implementation Research and Welfare Reform, edited by Mary Clare Lennon, senior research fellow at Columbia University's National Center for Children in Poverty, and Thomas Corbett, emeritus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, describes the range of methods that can be used to understand, design, and conduct process and implementation evaluations. Implementation research explores how concepts become policies and programs and evaluates how the policies work and how the programs are experienced by administrators and clients. While the authors use the sweeping changes in the income transfer system ushered in by the landmark 1996 welfare reform legislation as their policy context, the principles set forth are relevant to other fields as well.

In Part One, contributions from Joel Rabb, Ohio Department of Human Services; Don Winstead, formerly of the Florida Department of Children and Families, presently with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Pamela A. Holcomb and Demetra Smith Nightingale, Urban Institute; Thomas Kaplan, University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Corbett provide context for understanding implementation studies. In Part Two, Irene Lurie, University at Albany, State University of New York; Lawrence M. Mead, New York University; Evelyn Z. Brodkin, University of Chicago; Kathyrn Edin, Northwestern University; Kay Sherwood, consultant and writer on social policy; and Fred Doolittle, Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, discuss several methodological approaches to implementation evaluations. Part Three focuses on data collection methods, with contributions from Leanne Charlesworth; Catherine Born, University of Maryland School of Social Work; and Robert M. Goerge, University of Chicago. In Part Four, Rebecca A. Maynard, University of Pennsylvania, and Corbett conclude with a discussion of quality implementation analysis and a look into the future.

Policy Into Action: Implementation Research and Welfare Reform is a valuable resource for anyone involved in policy research or evaluation.

Policy Into Action: Implementation Research and Welfare Reform, edited by Mary Clare Lennon and Thomas Corbett, is available in paperback from the Urban Institute Press (6" x 9", 320 pages, ISBN 0-87766-714-4, $29.50). Order online at www.uipress.org or call 202-261-5687 or toll-free 1-877-847-7377.

The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that examines the social, economic, and governance challenges facing the nation.

Usage and reprints: Most publications may be downloaded free of charge from the web site and may be used and copies made for research, academic, policy or other non-commercial purposes. Proper attribution is required. Posting UI research papers on other websites is permitted subject to prior approval from the Urban Institute—contact [email protected].

If you are unable to access or print the PDF document please contact us or call the Publications Office at (202) 261-5687.

Disclaimer: The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Copyright of the written materials contained within the Urban Institute website is owned or controlled by the Urban Institute.