Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy Context
The growth of the immigrant population in the United States has prompted a recent increase in the number of restrictive immigration policies at the state and local levels. The literature on policy advocacy and social service organizations suggests that these local providers can engage in political a...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Indiana University School of Social Work
2018-09-01
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| Series: | Advances in Social Work |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/view/21642 |
| _version_ | 1818844506582155264 |
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| author | Benjamin Roth Seo Yeon Park Breanne Grace |
| author_facet | Benjamin Roth Seo Yeon Park Breanne Grace |
| author_sort | Benjamin Roth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The growth of the immigrant population in the United States has prompted a recent increase in the number of restrictive immigration policies at the state and local levels. The literature on policy advocacy and social service organizations suggests that these local providers can engage in political activities that challenge the restrictive nature of these contexts. This qualitative study explored how immigrant-serving social service organizations engage in policy advocacy in a state with restrictive, anti-immigrant policies. In-depth interviews with directors of 50 service providers in South Carolina clearly indicate a tension between the need for policy advocacy and the risks associated with engaging in such activities. Fifty percent (50%) of the providers in our sample reported engaging in some form of policy advocacy. However, their policy advocacy activities were often indirect, non-confrontational, and episodic. Most were engaged in coalitions and other forms of indirect advocacy tactics. We discuss implications for the social work profession and recommendations for future research, including the need to further explore the impact of policy advocacy efforts on changing the policy landscape in places that are unwelcoming to immigrants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T05:14:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0b3fb83bbdd1460eb562432650dd6afc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1527-8565 2331-4125 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T05:14:51Z |
| publishDate | 2018-09-01 |
| publisher | Indiana University School of Social Work |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advances in Social Work |
| spelling | doaj.art-0b3fb83bbdd1460eb562432650dd6afc2022-12-21T20:34:42ZengIndiana University School of Social WorkAdvances in Social Work1527-85652331-41252018-09-0118368270310.18060/2164221642Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy ContextBenjamin Roth0Seo Yeon Park1Breanne GraceUniversity of South CarolinaInstitute of Globalization and Multicultural StudiesThe growth of the immigrant population in the United States has prompted a recent increase in the number of restrictive immigration policies at the state and local levels. The literature on policy advocacy and social service organizations suggests that these local providers can engage in political activities that challenge the restrictive nature of these contexts. This qualitative study explored how immigrant-serving social service organizations engage in policy advocacy in a state with restrictive, anti-immigrant policies. In-depth interviews with directors of 50 service providers in South Carolina clearly indicate a tension between the need for policy advocacy and the risks associated with engaging in such activities. Fifty percent (50%) of the providers in our sample reported engaging in some form of policy advocacy. However, their policy advocacy activities were often indirect, non-confrontational, and episodic. Most were engaged in coalitions and other forms of indirect advocacy tactics. We discuss implications for the social work profession and recommendations for future research, including the need to further explore the impact of policy advocacy efforts on changing the policy landscape in places that are unwelcoming to immigrants.http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/view/21642immigrationImmigrantspolicy advocacysocial service organizationsimmigrant new destinations |
| spellingShingle | Benjamin Roth Seo Yeon Park Breanne Grace Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy Context Advances in Social Work immigration Immigrants policy advocacy social service organizations immigrant new destinations |
| title | Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy Context |
| title_full | Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy Context |
| title_fullStr | Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy Context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy Context |
| title_short | Advocating for Structural Change? Exploring the Advocacy Activities of Immigrant-Serving Organizations in an Unwelcoming Policy Context |
| title_sort | advocating for structural change exploring the advocacy activities of immigrant serving organizations in an unwelcoming policy context |
| topic | immigration Immigrants policy advocacy social service organizations immigrant new destinations |
| url | http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/view/21642 |
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