References
This page contains various supporting documents.
Payne, R.K, DeVol, P.E., Dreussi Smith, Terie, Bridges Out of Poverty, Strategies for Professionals and Communities, Texas: aha! process press, 2006. This book offers what I have come to see as a cultural understanding of the mechanism that perpetuate generational poverty and how to approach it. This particular volumme, followed A Framework for Understanding Poverty, and contains some socila services information that is helpful in devising approaches to the infromation contained in the first half which is also a recap of the first book. Payne makes the case that situational poverty and generational poverty differ not only in their likelihood of economic progress of the individual, but also that the forces that keep a person in generational poverty are learned at teh most basic level. In essence the child adopts the belief systems that are displayed by the parents which then decreases the probability of success of the child. This is a sentinel work in understandinbg why poverty exists, and what we can doo about it. I beleieve it also speaks volumes about why people make health choices they would not wnat for themselves.
Poter, M.E., Teisberg, E.O., Redefining Health Care, Creating Value Baszed Competition on Results, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press, 2006. Porter and Teisberg making an outstandingly clear argument for the realignment of the economic drivers of health care to a value based system; that free enterprise can and will do what we have acheived in most other industries, that of increasing quality and decreasing costs. They also note teh reasons that we have a less than ideal medical system is that we pay for encounters and procedures, and not for improving health. The key opportuntity they do not address is the methods of measuring and compensating for improving value, which does not detract from teh case made for free enterprise in medicine.
Thaler, R.H., Cass, R.S., Nudge, Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, New York: Penguin Books, 2009. The ability to influence choice and therefore behavior, is covered very well, with lots of examples and suggestions. The concept of "Libertarian Paternalism" is worth the price of the book alone. Ethics are suggested throughout teh text, with a great deal of good solid reasoning on the subject.
Logan, D., King, J., Fischer-Wright, H., Tribal Leadership, Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2008. I learned of teh work of Dave Logan and his colleagues through courses provided by him and Fischer-Wright. Dave is an electric presenter, and both his book and lectures provide a crystaline insight into the psycho-social basis of group behavior. The case is made for corporate environments, but the information he shares also reflects groups of all type. I believe the message awakens a consideration of the employer/employee relatinoship and casts light on the responsibility inferred by the power of the employer and the obligation to create a work environment that helps encourage teh development of the individual.