Making an Issue of Child AbuseIn this absorbing story of how child abuse grew from a small, private-sector charity concern into a multimillion-dollar social welfare issue, Barbara Nelson provides important new perspectives on the process of public agenda setting. Using extensive personal interviews and detailed archival research, she reconstructs an invaluable history of child abuse policy in America. She shows how the mass media presented child abuse to the public, how government agencies acted and interacted, and how state and national legislatures were spurred to strong action on this issue. Nelson examines prevailing theories about agenda setting and introduces a new conceptual framework for understanding how a social issue becomes part of the public agenda. This issue of child abuse, she argues, clearly reveals the scope and limitations of social change initiated through interest-group politics. Unfortunately, the process that transforms an issue into a popular cause, Nelson concludes, brings about programs that ultimately address only the symptoms and not the roots of such social problems. |
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Contents
Theoretical Approaches to Agenda Setting | 20 |
The AgendaSetting Function of the Media | 51 |
There Ought to Be a Law | 76 |
Congress | 92 |
The Public Use of Private Deviance | 126 |
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Common terms and phrases
abuse and neglect action administration adoption agency agenda setting amendments American approach Association attention authorized became become bill budget cause child abuse child abuse reporting child welfare Children's Bureau Committee concerns Congress congressional considered coverage cycle decision defined deviance diffusion diffusion of innovation early Education efforts Ellen encouraged established fact federal fiscal funds governmental hearings House Humane important included increased Index individual initial innovation institutional interest issue Jersey John Journal Labor later legislation legislatures less liberal limited March Mary mass million Mondale newspapers officials organization parents passed period physical abuse physicians political Press Prevention professional programs promoted protective published reporting laws response role Science Senate social problem Society statute stories Subcommittee University valence violence York
Bibliographic information
| Title | Making an Issue of Child Abuse |
| Author | Barbara J. Nelson |
| Edition | revised |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press, 1984 |
| ISBN | 0226572013, 9780226572017 |
| Length | 169 pages |
| Subjects | › › Family & Relationships / Abuse / Child Abuse Political Science / General Political Science / Public Policy / Social Services & Welfare Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |