Change and Continuity in State Human Service Agencies: 1986-2006

    Authors

    L. Martin;R. Hazlett-Knudsen

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Adm. Soc. Work

    Keywords

    human services; institutional isomorphism; organization structure; state; human service agencies; umbrella agencies; INSTITUTIONAL ISOMORPHISM; Public Administration; Social Work

    Abstract

    How states choose to organize and structure their human service agencies determines to a great extent how state human service systems function and how human services are delivered to clients. Little attention has been paid in the social work administration literature to this obviously important issue. Using data from the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), the authors look at how states have organized their human service systems at three times (1986, 1997, 2006) over a 20-year period. Specifically, the article looks at change and continuity in: 1) the structures and functions of the 50 designated state human service agencies, and (2) preferences for larger centralized umbrella-type agencies versus multiple smaller more specialized human service agencies.

    Journal Title

    Administration in Social Work

    Volume

    36

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2012

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    85

    Last Page

    100

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000301737800007

    ISSN

    0364-3107

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