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The Human Factor in Social Administration*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2009

John H. Smith
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Abstract

The practice of social administration is founded on the human response to problems of industrialization and urbanization. Motivation and effort towards ‘social service’ were once taken for granted, but this seems no longer justified in the light of changes in the material and intellectual contexts in which service to the community is undertaken. These changes include the politicization of the service ideal; the emergence of radical social work; the managerialism of service reorganization; new interpretations of professional accountability; and new fashions in sociology and psychology. Although hitherto stable assumptions have been questioned, the dogmatic basis for recent developments and the reactions to them justify a fresh evaluation of the human factor in social administration. The human factor remains the basic resource in identifying and meeting social needs.

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Type
Articles
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Journal of Social Policy , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , October 1979, pp. 433 - 447
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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