ABSTRACT
Social work prides itself on a commitment to the poor, the downtrodden and the dispossessed. Our advocacy activities are the ones thought closest to our mission, our ethical codes and our values. Many of the methods that we use to promote the profession and the public interest are time-tested approaches such as lobbying, community organizing, the use of initiatives and referenda and administrative advocacy (Ezell, 1994; Haynes & Mickelson, 2000). These approaches are generally regarded as effective by practitioners and the field in general, but have little empirical evidence to vouch for their efficacy. Given the critical nature of these methods to the profession’s goals of social and economic justice, the lack of hard evidence is a major drawback.
