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Social Work 701
Resources for International Social Work Practice
Edie Lewis

Scope note: This web page supplements information needs of students in SW701. Like some library web pages, this one falls outside of our structured approach to information literacy competencies, but it's meant to be a useful tool for assignments in International Social Work. Additional information resources for this class are found at International Health and Social Development (IHSD) Certificate Program and Selected Resources for International Social Work. Please contact Library Staff at social.work.library@umich.edu for related information.

Finding country background information published by non-U.S sources

Using the Social Development Model to Understand the Context of Your Work

Using the Social Development Model - Designing Ethnoconscious Interventions

Influencing International Social Policy

Finding country background information published by non-U.S sources. (The last three sources should NOT be used because they are U.S. published, but are listed for your information).

The World Bank e-library

• One of the most comprehensive collections in the area of social and economic development.
• All current and recent World Bank titles, documents and papers are available in PDF and other user-friendly format.
• Over 2000 Policy Research Working Papers are also available.
• Titles become available on or about publication date of the print edition.
• Browse the e-Library by region, such as Africa, East Asian, Eastern Europe, Latin Ameria and the Middle East.
• Under advanced search, select broad subject headings which include Gender, Health, Nutrition and Population, Poverty, Public Policy and Social & Cultural Issues.

Eldis Gateway to Development Information (Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK )

• Arranged by country with links to newspapers, profiles, government agencies and statistics as well as economic, demographic, and environment reports
• Sources primarily include US and international documents, such as the IMF country reports or FAO special reports
• Quick access to country profiles

Demographic, Social and Housing Statistics - Developed and Developing Countries (United Nations)

EarthTrends Poverty Resource Environmental Information Portal for Developing Countries

• This World Resources Institute site includes a database of countries where you can look up a country and find data on the number of people living on $1-day, $2-day
• You can also see maps of the various levels of poverty within each country.
• You can see Population, Health and Human Well-Being as well as Economic Indicators

• Meta index to information for over 200 countries
• Includes government, defense, sports, cities, health, industries, environment, universities
• Arranged by country with separate indexes for subjects and regions
• Although Adminet is French, the text for this segment is English

Europe World Year Book Online
Detailed political and economic surveys of over 250 countries and territories including recent statistics, directory information, and current analysis. Plus information on over 1,650 international organizations.

Historical Abstracts

• Indexes 2000 journals on world history since 1450 (excluding U.S. and Canadian).
• Good source for influence of US policy on developing nations.
• Sample Search: (usa or united states) and foreign policy and [name of your country]

America: History and Life

• Indexes 2000 journals on U.S. and Canadian history.
• Good source for influence of US policy on developing nations.
• Sample Search: (usa or united states) and foreign policy and [name of your country]

Family & Society Studies Worldwide   

• Covers popular issues as well as meeting the requirements of professionals in all fields of social work, social science and family practice.
• The scope is international including new areas of research and types of publications.
• Strong on interventions, programs and services.
• Sample Search: (usa or united states) and policy and [name of your country]

LexisNexis Statistical

• Indexes and abstracts federal statistical publications since 1974, business and state government publications since 1980, and international agency publications since 1983. 
• Provides links to the full text of 15% of federal publications (many more can be found by Googling the title).

Country resources from the U of M Documents Center and the Graduate Library:

International Organizations and Related Information
World Development Indicators (alphabetically by country)
Statistical Resources on the Web: Foreign Government Data Sources Mostly non-U.S. sources of demographics, arranged by comprehensive sources and by individiual countries
Foreign Governments: Comprehensive Web Site Listings (Contains material not easily found elsewhere) 
United States Foreign Policy
International Treaties
Foreign Governments: Sub-Saharan Africa,
Resources on African Studies
Foreign Governments: Middle East and North Africa
University of Michigan Library: Near East Division
Digital Resources for Middle East Studies
Links to Internet Resources on the Middle East and Judaica
Foreign Governments: Asia and the Pacific
UM South East Asia Index Page
Foreign Governments/Central/South America/Caribbean

The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS)
FBIS is a United States government operation which translates the text of daily broadcasts, government statements, and select news stories from non-English sources around the world. One report with translations is issued for each of eight world regions for each day. The text of these translations are available in paper (1958-60), microfilm (1961-74), microfiche (1975-96), and a combination of the internet and CD-ROM, 1996 to present. Use Newsbank for the 1975-1996 period and World News Connection for recent content.

Is your country a signatory of the United Nation's Charter?

GROWTH IN UNITED NATIONS MEMBERSHIP,  1945-2006

List of Member States Alphabetically

Alphabetical Index of Websites: The United Nations System of Organizations

• Portal to websites of the United nations, its funds, programmes, specialized agencies, key prjects and initiatives by the UN System
• Can also be browsed by subject`

Using the Social Development Model to Understand the Context of Your Work

Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Associations Unlimited
Provides information on nonprofit membership associations and professional societies worldwide (20,000 international, 134,000 U.S. national, regional, state and local), plus IRS information on over 300,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations.

NGO Global Network
Site dedicated to NGO's associated with the United Nations.

The NGO Cafe
Established as a "meeting place for NGOs to discuss, debate and disseminate information on their work, strategies and results."

Non-governmental Organizations Research Guide
Enables the user to browse by issue, region, and affiliation.  It also highlights organizations providing access to statistical data.

International Agencies and Information on the Web

Selected Resources for International Social Work

International Health and Social Development (IHSD) Certificate Program library web page includes the following links and many advocacy organizations by subject:

Human rights are recognized in the following international laws and agreements:

United Nations Charter (June 26, 1945) Preamble, Articles 1, 55, and 56.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (U.N. General Assembly 1948)
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (U.N. General Assembly 1948)
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (U.N. General Assembly 1965)
International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (U.N. General Assembly 1965)
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (U.N. General Assembly 1965)
United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) (UN General Assembly 1979)
United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (U.N. General Assembly 1984)
Convention on the Rights of the Child (U.N. General Assembly 1989)

What is Social Capital? A Brief Literature Overview

Using the Social Development Model - Designing Ethnoconscious Interventions

Core Curriculum and Ethnic Specific Modules
Stanford University Curriculum in Ethnogeriatrics provides histories of twelve immigrant populations to the U.S. and the cultural influences that may impact health care delivery to elders.

EthnoMed (University of Washington Harborview Medical Center)
Contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other related issues pertinent to the health care of recent immigrants to Seattle or the US, many of whom are refugees fleeing war-torn parts of the world.

Fourth World Documentation Project (Center for World Indigenous Studies)
Documents and makes available to Fourth World governments, researchers and organizations, important documents relating to the social, political, strategic, economic, cultural and human rights situations being faced by Fourth World nations and creates an historical archive of the political struggles waged by indigenous peoples seeking to achieve the full expression of self-determination.

Indigenous People and the Social Work Profession: Defining Culturally Competent Services by Hilary N. Weaver (2002). Social Work 44(3):217-225

Multicultural Health Support Tools: Inclusive health service planning and engagement: Practice guides, handbooks and resources (Queensland Government)
Health and socio-cultural information on ethnic communities (including torture and trauma and issues and issues for children, young people and women). It encourages health staff to actively explore cultural issues with patients and cautions against stereotyping

Program for Multicultural Health (PMCH) (University of Michigan)

Ethnic NewsWatch
Access via web:  ProQuest
1985-
Guide to ProQuest.
Full-text database of about 200 publications from ethnic, minority and native presses. Searchable in both English and Spanish. This database is limited to 4 simultaneous connections.

GenderWatch
Access via web:  ProQuest
1974-
Guide to ProQuest.
Full-text database of 140 international publications devoted to women's and gender issues, gathered from scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, reports, pamphlets, and conference proceedings.

Influencing International Social Policy

The Hatcher Graduate Library is a United Nations Depository Library.

• There are currently 191 countries in the United Nations.

• The United Nations serves four main purposes according to the UN charter

  • to maintain international peace and security;
  • to develop friendly relations among nations;
  • to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;
  • and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
    
    
• UN Documents are located in the Documents Center on the second floor.

The University Library subscribes to the UN Treaty Collection

Click on PowerPoint SlideShow to use this database.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

The Core International Human Rights Instruments and Universal Human Rights Instruments

• Many documents from 1993 to the present are also availale online in ODS, the Official Document System of the United Nations. ODS also provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards. The system does not contain press releases, UN sales publications, the United Nations Treaty Series or information brochures issued by the Department of Public Information.
  • United Nations sales publications are cataloged in Mirlyn.
  • Additional information can also be found on the United Nations website

AccessUN   (1944-)
The premier index to United Nations documents including Official Records, masthead documents, draft resolutions, meeting records, UN Sales Publications, and the UN Treaty Series citations. Also included is the full-text of several thousand UN documents.

United Nations

United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library - Research Guide

UN Data Access System (UN-data)

As of 1 May 2007, use of the Common Database is FREE OF CHARGE. A subscription is no longer necessary, and all users can access the full range of data, metadata and various search tools without restriction.

A new system, UN data, will be launched in Summer 2007 and will provide improved access and searchability for UNSD databases.

Human Development Report (UNDP)

• Web version summarizes regional and country statistics on economic, social, and educational development
• Each annual version focuses on an individual topic
  + 1995 issue addressed gender equality
  + 1997 issue carried poverty statistics by country with additional data on life expectancy, literacy, and per capita gross domestic produc

Access World News
Full-text content of local and regional newspapers. Each newspaper has its own distinctive focus offering a variety of viewpoints on local and world issues. Paid advertisements are excluded.

Family & Society Studies Worldwide   Access via web:  EBSCO

• Covers popular issues as well as meeting the requirements of professionals in all fields of social work, social science and family practice.
• The scope is international including new areas of research and types of publications.
• Strong on interventions, programs and services.

PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service)

• Contains references to over 553,300 journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, research and conference reports, publications of international agencies, microfiche, internet material, etc. concerning public affairs worldwide. 
• The database can be searched by broad subject headings, such as culture and religion, human rights and social conditions and policy or more specific subtopics, like social policy, poverty and homelessness and marriage and family life.
  

International Political Science Abstracts

• Provides abstracts of political science articles published in scholarly journals and yearbooks worldwide

World Health Organization: Regional Office for Europe: Evidence (Access to WHO's Evidence-Based Information and Policy
The website offers links to Evidence and Information for Policy, identifying cost-effectiveness of health care interventions and to the Health Evidence Network which features a small library of synthesis reports and links to evidence-based web resources.

United Nations: Test Your Knowledge (The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) )

Then take the rest of the quiz to see how much you know about this international organization. The U.N. General Assembly opens on September 16 in New York

= University of Michigan Licensed Database -- Accessible from campus workstations and from remote locations to valid U-M community members with signon or with valid IP address.

Converted by Jamie Nielsen 10/15/07

Document Custodian: Sally Haines

Content last updated on: 9 September 2008

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