Reisch (social justice, U. of Maryland, Baltimore) offers students an overview of US social policy and the policy making process. Contributed by scholars and activists in social policy, social work, and social welfare in the US, the 15 chapters include the contextual components of history, ideology, political economy, and culture; the major areas of policy, such as income support and health/mental health; and content meant to enhance policy analysis and critical thinking skills. They include case studies involving excluded populations, discussions of the implications of evidence-based research for policy formulation, an analysis of the relationship between social justice and policy, coverage of the impact of policy on marginalized groups, material with a global perspective, discussion of the role of ideology in policy development, and content on critical thinking and the ethical dimensions of policy development and implementation. They also discuss the relationship of policy to economic, social, and cultural transformation; how economic and social change influence the development of different conceptions of need and helping, and their implications for policy change; the role of policies and services in social change, community development, and political action; the role of cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, and religious identity in the development and implementation of policies; and the impact of the ongoing conflict between universal and population-specific conceptions of social welfare. A companion website features primary source materials, media artifacts, interactive exercises, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, test questions, and links to video and web resources. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)