Originally published in 1979, this book enabled students and practising professionals who wished to deepen their understanding of their subject by using a comparative approach. The book begins with a stringent treatment of methodological problems, moves on to suggest how they can be tackled, and sets up a conceptual and analytical framework for the four case studies, and the comparative analysis arising out of them. These case studies, from Britain, France, Israel and Australia are deliberately focused on the personal social services and social work – although these are necessarily set within the political, economic and social context and related to other areas of social provision in each country.