By Stephanie C.Boddie
School of Social Work,Washington University in St.Louis,Mo.,U.S.A
and Ram A.Cnaan
School of Social Policy Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.
The United States was the first country to privatize social services and minimize public responsibility to the welfare needs of its citizens. The article reviews the waves and philosophies behind privatization. The current wave of privatization relies heavily on faith-based or ganizations to be key partners in social services provision. Known as "charitable choice" or "the faith-based initiative, "this policy is the flagship of the Bush administration and, so far, is uniquely American. It is especially of interest given the strong separation of church and state in American society. The article reviews the origin of this new policy (legislated in 1996), its opponents and proponents, its premises, and its potential drawbacks. The content of the article is aimed to caution any attempt to copy the "new American model" before its real essence is carefully examined.