Essays and Research Papers on Social Work & Counseling

An 8 page paper based on Edin and Lein's Making Ends Meet: How Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low Wage Work, discussing some of the survival strategies of single mothers unable to support themselves and their children fully through either welfare programs or low-wage work. Full time low-wage employment appears to yield higher ...

Three questions are addressed in this 5 page paper about the state of the social security system in the late 1990's. Discussed are whether or not a person should feel entitled to benefits, whether or not the benefits will be there when a young person reaches retirement age as well as the debate surrounding privatization. ...

A 16 page paper discussing whether the Social Security Program in the United States needs reform, some of the significant issues, and possible solutions. It is argued that the most reasonable course of action would be to continue to collect FICA taxes as we always have, and for the government to invest at least a ...

This 10 page paper looks at the Social Security system in-depth, the current dilemma it faces as 'baby boomers' age, as well as possible solutions. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 6 page article review provides a comprehensive overview of Social Security in the United States. An argument is made that Social Security is in need of "an overhaul"-- as the current system definitely requires some reallocation of funds. The original purpose of Social Security is defined and specific issues unique to today's society are ...

A 5 page paper discussing various solutions to poverty conditions that exist in this country today. Some of the solutions include the elimination of the welfare system, community involvement, which includes the participation of businesses and corporations, as well as family commitment and lower regulations in regards to adoption for unwed mothers who give ...

A 9 page paper evaluating the attitudes that many of our social and economic ills are caused by immigration. Immigrants are accused of inundating the labor market with low-wage, low-skilled labor, further depressing wages. One author applies the term 'welfare magnet,' stopping just short of saying that immigrants are leaving their native countries ...

Social and political theories attempt to explain motivations behind executive decision making in this 10 page paper. Highlighted are the decisions reached by President John F. Kennedy during the 1960's in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A 10 page research paper examining some of the problems faced both by homeless veterans and the agencies and individuals trying to provide these veterans with real assistance. In 1994, the number of homeless veterans was estimated to be at more than 250,000. The Vietnam veterans are the first to have had to ...

A 10 page paper discussing the process of an empirical political analysis based on the use of SPSS (Statistical Program for the Social Sciences) database and how it can be applied to issues of race and gender as they relate to voting preferences. Bibliography lists more than a dozen sources.

A 5 page paper discussing the giving and receiving tactics of the United Way. The foundation makes vital services possible, but for all the good the foundation does, it has achieved the position within many of the agencies it helps support of being their primary source of income, or at least being so important ...

The subject of authority is discussed in relationship to political ideology and class. This 8 page paper suggests that societal reaction to authority is inextricably linked with liberalism and conservatism as well as social status. The Rodney King beating and trial is used as one illustration. The paper includes Weber's interpretation of authority. Bibliography lists ...

A very well-written 5 page essay arguing in favor of the positive aspects of Liberalism. A number of advanced arguments from studies are evaluatively critiqued in order for the writer to arrive at the conclusion that liberalism has had to become more social, open to schemes of redistribution which preserve the price system but which ...

A 15 page paper in which the writer explores this phenomenon in light of Robert Putnam's work 'Bowling Alone' with some relevance to his 'Making Democracy Work.' Criticism of the work is addressed and solutions to the problem are also explored. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 7 page paper that discusses David Harvey's perspectives on postmodernity. This paper demonstrates Harvey's concern for the poltical and economic impacts of postmodernity, and suggests that his concern for Marxist principles impact his perceptions of the status of economics and politics in the United States. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

The concepts of class consciousness and social stratification are employed in this 6 page personal essay. Using real life examples, one man's self-analysis delves into the use of sociological theories in preference to psychological concepts as tools for the understanding of one's inner being. Weber and Marx are referenced in this piece as integral to ...

A 7 page paper giving a critical assessment of Marx's works. The writer examines Marx's theories, including his contributions to economics and social philosophy. Bibliography cites 5 sources.

A 30 page research paper which takes a unique perspective on examining the work of Karl Marx. This paper addresses the question as to whether or not Marx departed from his humanistic leanings evident in his early work by the time his more mature work was published. The writer argues that Marx's views evolved, but ...

A 9 page paper examining Marx's statement that morality is a form of ideology. The paper uses Marx's own writings as well as secondary sources, and concludes that Marx was not advocating behavioral anarchy, simply a recognition that we, not God, make the rules that govern our behavior, and that we need to do so ...

A 3 page research paper which details the political, economic, social and political theories of Marx. A reaction to his view of capitalism sums up the paper. Bibliography listing three sources is included.

Capitalism is viewed through Karl Marx's eyes in this 5 page analysis. Various theories, particularly those that relate to historical materialism, are discussed in light of Marx's predictions. Current events are also provided in order to effectively analyze Marx's utopian promise. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

Marxism and its place in the postmodern era is examined in this 4 page essay. The paper concludes that although many have thrown the concept out since the advent of modernity, Marxism is still a viable philosophy. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper showing how Marx's letters written in 1843 foreshadowed the political and economic theories he would eventually publish in the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. These letters are analyzed together with some brief background about the political times in which Marx lived to paint a fuller picture of the development of this ...

This 8 page paper looks at the document published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels about 150 years ago in light of capitalist society today. No additional sources are cited.

An 8 page explication of Marx & Engels' infamous 'Communist Manifesto' in which the writer defines the classes discussed, elaborates key terminology, and then presents examples of how true Marx & Engels' predictions have become in the modern U.S. (i.e., low-income housing projects as an example of 'the abolition of property in land and application ...