$38. ISBN 978-1412947787 (paperback). Social Development: Theory and Practice is the new book by Professor Midgley. Those who think of this as a second ...
Book News
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Social Development: Theory and Practice James Midgley Sage Publications, London, 2014 $38 ISBN 978-1412947787 (paperback)
Social Development: Theory and Practice is the new book by Professor Midgley. Those who think of this as a second edition to Social Development: The Develop mental Perspective in Social Welfare (Midgley, 1995) need to know at the outset th at it is entirely a new book, although it does draw a few ideas from the 199 5 publication. Midgley’s new book on the theory and practice of social develop m ent amply demonstrates that social development is practical and its goals are achievable (Pawar & Cox, 2010). Amending his previous definition of social development, Midgley defines social development here “as a process of planned social change designed to promote the well-being of the whole population as a whole within the context of a dynamic multifaceted development process” (p. 13). This definition overcomes the constraining duality of social and eco nomic, and includes m any facets of the development process beyond the “eco nom ic” one. For example, existing literature has discussed nine facets or dimen sions of social development (for a review, see Pawar & Cox, 2010). Midgley’s new concept of social development is open and allows for the inclusion of many dynamic aspects of the development process. The book is diligently divided into four parts. The first part critically and clearly discusses the meaning and history of social development. The theoretical aspects of social development are discussed in the second part, which covers original condition, goals, normative perspectives, principles, and practice of social de velopment. Building on the conceptual and theoretical understanding of social development, the third part focuses on social development practice, which may be construed as facets of the social development process. The social development practice is discussed in relation to seven facets of the development process, as presented in figure 1, and a separate chapter is devoted to each one. Each practice chapter features critical and scholarly discussion of historical and contempo rary perspectives, as well as perspectives for the future. Midgley’s book discusses seven facets of social development practice, but readers can think of and practice other aspects of the development process. In the last part, Midgley concludes by discussing his own normative perspective, institutional structuralism, which aims to synthesize various theoretical and practice perspectives. Although bringing major ideologies and respective players together to achieve a common goal is a complex, optimistic social development agenda, the book clearly discusses critical barriers to the practice of social development. Midgley asserts th at “achieving the social development agenda involves an ongoing process of struggle in which exercise of power is a key factor” (p. 218). Rather than being complacent or in different, the book wholeheartedly invites both supporters and cynics of social
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Social Development Issues 36 (2) 2014
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development to embrace the path of struggle in order to initiate multifaceted social development processes to enhance people's well-being. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and significantly gained from the theoretical and practical knowledge discussed in it. It is also up to date and draws on the latest theoretical and practice developments in the field. The suggested ad ditional reading at the end of each chapter and the glossary both are very useful as well.. Midgley has a unique writing style that is simple, clear, and engaging, and he has objective and balanced analyses, which create curiosity in readers and may lead them to raise many questions. Achieving this, I think, is a dream of any teacher, author, and practitioner. I have already assigned the book in courses I teach and would highly recommend the work to students, educators, and policy makers of social development. Much like Hobhouse’s popularization of the concept of social development in the early twentieth century, Midgley’s book contains a much-needed and profound message of social development for the twenty-first century.
References Midgley, J. (1995). Social development: The developmental perspective in social wel fare. London, UK: Sage. Pawar, M. S., & Cox, D. R. (Eds.). (2010). Social development: Critical themes and perspectives. New York, NY: Routledge. Manohar Pawar, Charles Sturt University, Australia
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