The paper describes the introduction of National Provident Fund Schemes in the British Leeward and Windward Islands under the guidance of the British Government during the 1960s. Adopted on the recommendations of technical experts from the United Kingdom, the schemes are very similar (except for the inoperative one in one of the territories where unfavourable political developments occurred); they are funded by payroll taxes levied on both employers and employees, cover nonpensionable employees between ages 16 and 60 and make provisions for retirement and other benefits which have mostly been deferred. The operations of the schemes are discussed, with critical attention being given to the use made of the accumulated funds. Many weaknesses of the schemes are discussed, some of which make them inferior, in the writer's view, to alternate programmes suggested several years earlier. The paper concludes with the hope that in spite of the schemes' limitations, improvements will be made so as to improve the prospects for social security in the region.

Organizations have some similarities, although they also vary widely. Various modes of conceptualizing and analysing Organizations have developed largely from work in industry, but also from studies in the public sector, but one has to consider which of these are particularly relevant to the study of social service Organizations. The approach commonly used in comparing Organizations to Weber's description of bureaucracy is not very productive; and neither is a similar usage of Goffman's ‘total institution’. A critical examination is made of analytical categories set up by one author, but these also are of limited usefulness, and it is suggested that it is better to approach the problem by looking at important general problems which are central to many kinds of Organizations. Some of those which seem to be particularly relevant to social service Organizations are discussed. These are: the relationship between technology and structure; organizational climates; occupational conflicts; and organizational environments. Various examples are given to illustrate how these affect particular sectors of the field. Entering an area of study by selecting problems which are of key importance has a long tradition in social administration, as in other disciplines, and the study of social service Organizations is no exception.

John Rawls' A Theory of Justice was published in Britain in 1972. The summation of many years' work by Professor Rawls, it has stimulated widespread admiration and criticism. In this article Rawls' theory is summarized briefly together with some of the major criticisms that have been made of it. An attempt is then made to apply one of Rawls' principles of justice to the question of health services financing, using as a case study the recommendations of an advisory panel of the British Medical Association, which reported in 1970. These recommendations involved extending the private sector in medical care, on the argument that the flow of resources to the National Health Service would increase and, despite possible greater inequalities, result in an improvement in the level of care for all. Judged by the Rawlsian principle, these recommendations are not found likely to represent a just solution to the question of health service financing.

The statutory functions of the Supplementary Benefits Commission are described, together with the Secretary of State's invitation to the Commission to play a more active and public part in reformulating the problems of social assistance and proposing policies for dealing with them. Next the Commission's Chairman considers how he and his colleagues should respond to this invitation and which issues they should concentrate upon, focusing particularly on the growing use of discretion in a service originally intended to confer clearly understood rights, the bewildering complexity which results from this trend, and the ‘frontier’ problems arising between their service and other social services. In conclusion he considers the implications of the Commission's extended role for other bodies and the Commission's relations with them – particularly Ministers and their advisers, the academic community, the communications media, and the pressure groups. Ultimately, he asks, should the Commission itself be abolished?

Developments in the realms of social work practice, writing and research have provided fuel for the claim that the opinion of the consumer should exercise a formative influence in the development of policies impinging on the social services. However, it is difficult to decide when the opinion of the consumer has been understood. Also, even when the views of consumers are known, the question of how these views are utilized in the formulation of policies remains problematic. Furthermore, weaknesses in the research strategies of recent studies limit the applicability of policy recommendations which occur in this literature.

New or increased charges to the users of the social services are likely to be considered with greater interest in our present economic situation. It seems an appropriate time, therefore, to ask what purposes direct charges are intended to serve and whether, in practice, they live up to these expectations. Admittedly, it may be misleading to refer to ‘purposes’ in this way, since they will be interpreted differently by different interests. But we may gain at least an idea of the range of purposes that governments have in mind by looking at the introduction, removal or variation of charges. The same might be done at the level of local government in those spheres where councils act independently. Proceeding in this way I suggest that five main purposes may be identified. Briefly, these are: raising revenue; reducing demand; shifting priorities; checking abuse, and a symbolic purpose. I shall say a little about each of them and then draw two sets of conclusions: one about the overall effect of charges and the other about the circumstances in which changes in charges are likely to occur.

While ideology may not explain differences in welfare policy on an international comparative basis, it can help account for the process of policy development in a particular country. In Israel, ideology was very significant in the historical development of public assistance by its influence on social security policy choices concerning the removal of certain groups from the residual programme of public assistance. Indirectly, ideology also shaped the extent and type of convergence of public assistance and social insurance, as well as the relative size and scope of these two benefit systems. It had, however, relatively little influence on the subsequent operating character of the public assistance programme, which seems to have an inner logic, independent of ideology, inhering in its operating principles. The latter — local responsibility, relative liability, less eligibility and means-testing – were reinforced by the organizational character of the sponsoring agency. Because they serve as a residual programme for groups whose claim for support is not yet legitimized, public assistance programmes in most Western countries will confront the same dilemmas and acquire a similar operating character.

The article concerns waiting for inpatient admission in the NHS and focuses on three aspects of this persistent problem. These are the merits or otherwise of rationing health care through waiting as opposed to pricing, the interpretation of waiting lists as a proxy for excess demand in the ‘market’ for inpatient care, including a critical examination of the logic and empirical evidence underlying the view that inpatients pay a time price for their admission, and the question of an admissions index to replace the largely inconsistent admission criteria currently employed in the hospital service. In particular the construction of an index incorporating the values of fairness and efficiency is discussed and the following characteristics suggested for inclusion: time already spent on the waiting list; urgency based on expected rate of deterioration of the patient's condition; urgency based on the patient's health status; urgency based on the ‘social productivity’ of the patient and the number of economic dependants; and urgency based on other social factors.

The conclusions are that emphasis should be placed on waiting times rather than lists, that systematic admissions criteria should be developed and that the latter should incorporate social judgements which to date have been ignored or dominated by clinical judgements.

This article discusses a study of the factors affecting rent rebate and allowance take-up carried out by Batley Community Development Project. The scope and limitations of an action-research approach in monitoring the impact of publicity, and the importance of attitudinal explanations of the take-up of means-tested benefits are discussed.

The research shows that take-up is relatively low, especially in the case of private tenants, and little affected by experimental publicity. Take-up cannot be explained as a simple function of publicity initiatives. Complex attitudinal factors only disclosed in depth-interview affect the impact, relevance and credibility of campaigns. Such factors, and particularly stigma, are likely to limit the potential of publicity for raising the take-up of rent benefits.

The purpose of this essay is to examine aspects of educational policy-making at the local level in the USA. I shall present some empirical evidence to support the claims that local control by citizens is an illusion rather than a reality and that the professional educators have a large measure of discretion in determining the organization of education in their local communities. The evidence is adduced from an intensive study of the budgetary process in four school districts and in essence shows that the size of the community is not a causative factor in determining the nature of control; nor is the form of government – namely town or city – found to have any appreciable effect upon the extent of citizen participation or control.

Two approaches to Information and Advice Centre provision are reviewed and their consequences for work with individuals and groups outlined. The approaches – called the ‘extension’ and ‘advocate-organizer’ models of Centre function – are then examined in the light of findings from research on an ‘Information and Action Centre’ in West Cumbria. Policy implications of the ‘advocate-organizer’ type of service are discussed with reference to questions of management and auspice.

Students of social policy have studied in some depth the fate of new ideas when they came close to inclusion in new policies, and especially new legislation. Less attention has been paid to the process whereby new ideas are generated, and the impact of advocacy on the future of simultaneous but independent innovation. Here, the therapeutic community, developed during the last war in response to largely neurotic difficulties in military personnel, is examined as a case study of innovation, and of the fate of innovation as a result of official support, and enthusiastic proselytization by committed practitioners.

This article casts some light on a neglected area of the health and social services in Britain, namely provision for homeless, single men. It is shown that the services available are grossly inadequate to meet their needs. The paper uses results from a study of Camberwell reception centre which demonstrate that the absolute number of men having either a physical or mental illness who use the centre in any one year is much higher than had previously been calculated. The reception centre is unable to meet their needs which are principally for low-rent accommodation for single people and appropriate health care and social support.

A planner should be aware of alternative social goals of housing planning. For example: to encourage frequent contacts and manifest neighbourliness, or to plan for maximum privacy; to strive for ethnic integration through ethnically mixed housing or to let people live close to those who resemble themselves, as they usually prefer. The selection of social goals involves value judgements, but opinions differ about the question of whose values should be considered in this decision process.

Once the basic value judgements are made and the social goals selected, the planner looks for ways to realize the goals. This paper surveys sociological studies which define some of the relevant factors and provide guidance concerning social conditions in which physical planning can contribute to the realization of selected goals.