Social Work Organizations - Essay Example

SOCIAL WORK ORGANIZATIONS In our society many different groups help to deliver services to people. No one would doubt that they government is the largest actor in this regard, but the private sector also helps out. A great deal of an individual's taxes go to providing social services to people in need. The question we must ask is whether there is value being provided for this money. In many cases, value is not being provided. The government is a poor allocator of resources. It is good at creating bureaucracies and red tape, but it is not good at delivering services to people who need them.

Too much decision-making is centralized and there are not enough incentives for government agencies to work properly. On the other hand contracting these services out to the private sector is likely to get better results because private organizations have an incentive to do their jobs properly. Churches and other more business-oriented groups know how to deliver results. As for the notion that law enforcement should be privatized, this sounds like a good idea. Policing costs a great deal. If municipalities and states were able to contract these jobs out to private groups they would reduce costs, especially pension and benefit costs, and maintain high services.

As long as the bidding process was competitive, citizens would most likely get better value for money because they would not be paying for all the overhead. The idea may sound somewhat revolutionary, but it is an idea whose time as come. Too many municipalities are currently on the brink of bankruptcy. Something must be done. Sources Dolgoff, R. & Feldstein, D. (2009). Understanding social welfare: A search for social justice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon. Owens, Michael (2007).

God and Government in the Ghetto. University of Chicago Press.