Dimensions of Charity versus Development: The Century-Old Debate in the Profession of Social Work

Authors

Héctor Luis Díaz, Western Michigan UniversityFollow
Antonio López Peláez, Universidad Nacional de Educación a la DistanciaFollow

Keywords

Charity, social development, social work, social policy

Abstract

The social work profession seeks different objectives and utilizes different methodologies and interventions in the countries in which it operates around the world. Furthermore, it operates within drastically different political, economic and cultural contexts. For these reasons, it is difficult to identify an ideal universal method of intervention.For approximately a century, social work practitioners and academicians have debated whether the profession should focus its efforts on providing charity and relief services or promoting socio-economic development and self-sufficiency. This article defines the concepts of charity and socioeconomic development and analyzes the main dimensions of this debate in an effort to deepen our understanding of how to best promote the wellbeing of individuals and communities.

Recommended Citation

Díaz, Héctor Luis and López Peláez, Antonio (2018) "Dimensions of Charity versus Development: The Century-Old Debate in the Profession of Social Work," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 45: Iss. 1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.4164
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol45/iss1/2