Main description:

Influencing Social Policy synthesizes current knowledge about how psychologists influence social policy to serve the public interest. The volume builds upon interviews with 79 applied psychologists about their experiences in the policy domain, with special focus on the work of applied developmental psychologists, applied social psychologists, and community psychologists. Additional foundations of the volume include a review of social science scholarship
across a wide range of disciplines, and author Kenneth Maton's 30 years of teaching on the topic, including frequent interactions with Washington, DC, policy experts.

Together, these sources provide in-depth information about how applied psychologists influence social policy, the factors that contribute to their success, the challenges they face, and the approaches used to address those challenges. The policy influences described span all three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The policy content areas are diverse, including the death penalty prohibition for adolescents, early childhood education, gay marriage, gender
discrimination in the workplace, health and mental health care reform, homelessness, home visiting programs, sexually abused child witness treatment, status offender diversion from the juvenile justice system, substance abuse prevention, and many others.

Influencing Social Policy is a must-have resource for graduate students and professionals in a wide variety of disciplines with interests in influencing social policy, including psychology, education, public health, social work, policy studies, anthropology, and sociology.

Contents:

Series Foreword by Nicole E. Allen and Bradley Olson

Foreword by Murray Levine

Preface

Chapter 1: Psychologists in the Social Policy Arena

Chapter 2: Psychologists in the Policy Arena: Policy Process, Use of Research, Vantage Points, Methods, and Skills

Chapter 3: University Faculty in the Policy Arena

Chapter 4: Psychologists Working in Intermediary Organizations

Chapter 5: Psychologists Working as Policy Insiders

Chapter 6: Policy-Relevant Research: Characteristics and Pathways to Policy Influence

Chapter 7: Policy Journeys: Multiple Involvements, Distinctive Aspects, and Influences

Chapter 8: Policy Failures and Defeats, Barriers and Challenges, and Lessons Learned

Chapter 9: Conclusions and Future Directions

Appendix A Interviewees by Subfield

Appendix B Alphabetical List of Interviewees

Appendix C Interview Protocol

Appendix D Policy Characteristics, Interdisciplinary Involvements, Leadership Positions, and International Focus of Interviewees

Glossary

References

About the Author

Index