In the midst --and in the troubled wake--of the Great Recession, we have witnessed an extraordinary and unprecedented global cooperation among nations committed to collectively discussing, debating, and instituting the best possible economic measures that would restore worldwide growth and prosperity. Through international dialogue, negotiations, and old-fashioned arm-twisting and diplomatic brinksmanship, vulnerable and debt-ridden countries, mostly in Europe, were bailed out and forced to accept austerity spending measures. One of the major players in this economic drama was the Group of 20, an international council of the world's leading industrialized and emerging economies. Initially formed to give greater voice and representation to emerging economies and developing nations and to encourage growth, development, and prosperity worldwide, the Group of 20 evolved during the Great Recession into a fleet-footed, rapid-response crisis management council, seeking ways to craft a coordinated and effective response to the deepening economic turmoil. Readers will follow as this book charts the evolution against the historic backdrop of the Great Recession, while also discussing earlier antecedents of the Group of 20, its organization, membership, and leadership, its membership criteria, its organizational philosophy, mandate, and authority, and its greatest debates, controversies, failures, and successes. Readers discover the surprisingly stirring account of a leadership council adapting to confront a global crisis of historic proportions and an inspiring example of the power of many and the wisdom of the group to tackle and solve even the most vexing of problems. Readers are encouraged to think and engage further with 10 Great Questions to Ask an Economics/Finance teacher and Myths & Facts.

A best-seller in its first edition, Making Meetings Work: Achieving High Quality Group Decisions, Second Edition covers everything you need to know about organizing engaging meetings, including preparing agendas, controlling what happens behind the scenes prior to and after meetings, and managing conflicting values and personalities. Through the Meeting Masters Research Project at the University of Michigan, author John E. Tropman observed and interviewed the nation′s most successful meeting experts to find out how to make meetings both stimulating and productive. Based on his findings, Tropman formulated seven principles and fourteen commandments for implementing dynamic meetings. This second edition has been extensively revised and expanded to include Family meetings and family group decision making Problems and solutions for board of directors meetings Community and civic meetings Volunteers and meetings Leadership in community decision making Making Meetings Work: Achieving High Quality Group Decisions, Second Edition provides simple, easily applied best practices for supervising or instigating meetings with decision accomplishment outcomes. Author John E. Tropman reveals goal oriented procedures that keep proposals moving towards quality group decision making and assure other participants look forward to attending your meetings. Written with humor and a deep understanding of the realities of business and political life, Making Meetings Work: Achieving High Quality Group Decisions, Second Edition is an extraordinary resource for anyone who leads, facilitates, or attends meetings.

Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.

Family group conferences (FGCs) are a strengths-based approach to social work practice, empowering families to take responsibility for decision-making. It is a cost-effective service, which is currently used by the majority of local authorities. This collection discusses the origins and theoretical underpinnings of family led decision making and brings together the current research on the efficacy and limitations of FGCs into a single text. This insightful book also covers topics such as the use of FGCs in different areas of children and families social work, uses case studies to illustrate current practice, and explores whether FGCs should become a mainstream function of children and families social work.

A report of the development of a service to housing estate community groups by the London Council of Social Service, based on 15 years of field work experience using the community development approach and method. First Published in 1969. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Examine group work's roots and fundamental beliefs to get a glimpse of the future For more than 80 years, social group work has survived difficult times—a testament to the persistence of its practitioners as well as the strength of its methods. Growth and Development Through Group Work chronicles the evolution of this groundbreaking practice through a collection of peer-reviewed papers presented at the 23rd Annual International Symposium on Social Work with Groups. The book examines practice, policy, and education issues in specific settings and populations from both theoretical and historical perspectives. Presented in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, the papers that comprise Growth and Development Through Group Work reflect a heightened awareness of the importance of social action group work—now, and in the future. The book represents the best of social work’s tradition of social reform and concern for oppressed people, never straying far from the concept of the group, with its multiple helping relationships, as the primary source of change. A comprehensive overview of the field in international, intercultural, and cross-gender contexts, Growth and Development Through Group Work is equally effective for coursework or independent reading. Topics addressed in Growth and Development Through Group Work include: contributions of the late Ruby B. Pernell to the development of social group work research in support of group work education and practice group work in Germany-its development from American roots and its current advances social justice as a major objective of group work practice teaching group work mutual aid in support groups for particularly sensitive health problems psychoeducational group work contributions from Hull House as guides for the future of social group work Growth and Development Through Group Work is an invaluable resource for clinicians, neighborhood and community activists, educators and students, researchers, therapists, administrators, and anyone working in policy and/or program development.

An Experiential Approach to Group Work is not your typical group work text Using dozens of exercises that build practice-tested skills, the authors' approach is in perfect step with CSWE's competence-based education requirements. The book is organized into three sections-the first addresses stages of group practice, the second looks at major types of groups, and the final section looks at examples of group work practice with special populations.