James Midgley

Job title: 
Professor of the Graduate School and Dean Emeritus
Bio/CV: 

James Midgley is Professor of the Graduate School and Dean Emeritus of the School of Social Welfare. He served as Dean from 1997 to 2006 and was the Harry and Riva Specht Professor of Public Social Services from 1997 to 2016 when he retired from full-time academic work. Originally from South Africa, he studied at the University of Cape Town where he trained as a social worker and completed a master and doctorate in sociology. He subsequently joined the faculty teaching sociology, social policy and social work. In 1970, he won a prestigious campus award to study at the London School of Economics (LSE) where he completed a master’s degree in social policy. In 1972, he joined School’s faculty and where he helped establish the first program in social policy and planning for developing countries. In 1985, he immigrated to the United States and joined Louisiana State University (LSU), serving as Professor and Dean of the School of Social Work and subsequently as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. He came to Berkeley as Dean in 1997.

An authority on international social welfare, he is regarded as a pioneer in international social welfare scholarship, with particular reference to social policy and social development in the Global South. His major interests are in international social welfare, social development, social protection, and in global poverty and inequality. 

His major books include Professional Imperialism: Social Work in the Third World (Heinemann, 1981); Social Security, Inequality and the Third World (Wiley, 1984); Comparative Social Policy and the Third World co-authored with Stewart MacPherson (Harvester, Press 1987) The Social Dimensions of Development: Social Policy and Planning in the Third World co-authored with Margaret Hardiman (Wiley, 1982); Social Development: The Developmental Perspective in Social Welfare (Sage, 1995); Social Welfare in Global Context (Sage, 1997); Social Policy for Development co-authored with Anthony Hall (Sage, 2004); Social Development: Theory and Practice (Sage, Social Welfare for a Global Era: International Perspectives on Policy and Practice (Sage, 2017) and Inequality, Social Protection and Social Justice (Elgar, 2020). His latest book, Advanced Introduction to Social Protection was published by Elgar in 2022.

Full Biography

He has edited more than 25 books. These include Lessons from Abroad: Adapting International Social Welfare Innovations co-edited with M. C. Hokenstad (NASW Press, 2004); Social Security, the Economy and Development co-edited with Kwong-leung Tang (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008); The Handbook of Social Policy co-edited with Michelle Livermore (Sage, 2009); Social Work and Social Development: Theory and Skills for Developmental Social Work co-edited with Amy Conley (Oxford University Press, 2010); Grassroots Social Security in Asia co-edited with Mitsuhiko Hosaka (Routledge, 2011); Colonialism and Welfare: Social Policy and the British Imperial Legacy co-edited with David Piachaud (Elgar, 2011); Planning and Community Development: Case Studies co-edited with Adolfo Carzola. (GrupoGESPLAN, Madrid, 2012); Poverty, Incomes and Social Protection: International Policy Perspectives co-edited with Richard Hoefer (Routledge, 2013); Social Policy and Social Change in East Asia co-edited with James Lee & Yapeng Zhu (Lexington Books. 2014): Social Investment and Social Welfare: International and Critical Perspectives co-edited with Espen Dah and Amy Conley Wright (Elgar, 2017); Future Directions in Social Development co-edited with Manohar Pawar (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and Handbook of Social Policy and Development, (Elgar, 2019, co-edited with Rebecca Surender and Laura Alfers (Elgar 2019).

Midgley’s books have been translated into Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Bahasa-Malaysian, Bahasa-Indonesian and Chinese. They have also been reviewed in numerous academic journals. Major reviews have also appeared in library review journals including Choice and British Book News.

He has published over a hundred articles in peer reviewed journals and has authored about the same number of chapters in edited collections. He has served on the editorial boards of more than a dozen journals. He was book review editor of the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare and Social Development Issues. He has been guest editor of 15 special thematic issues of leading social work and social policy journals including International Social WorkJournal of Sociology and Social WelfareJournal of Policy PracticeDevelopment Southern AfricaSocial Development Issues, International Journal of Social Welfare and the Journal of Applied Social Sciences. He also served as a co-editor of the International Encyclopedia of Social Policy (Routledge, 2006) and was an associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Work, published for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) by Oxford University Press in 2008.

He has frequently been the keynote speaker at major conferences and has given several named lectures. These include the Dan Sanders Memorial Lecture at the University of Illinois (1993); the Peter Hodge Memorial Lecture at the University of Hong Kong (1994); the Kenneth Pray Lecture at the University of Pennsylvania (1995); the John F. Roatch Lecture at Arizona State University (1997); the Allen T. Burns Lecture at the University of Chicago (1997); the Bernard and Rhoda Sarnat Lecture at the University of Southern California (2000); the 8th Annual Herman D. Stein Lecture in International Social Welfare at Case Western Reserve University (2006); and the Run Run Shaw Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2016). He has also given many keynote addresses at international conferences and is frequently invited to lecture at universities around the world. He has held appointments as Honorary Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Nihon Fukishi University in Japan; the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Sun Yat-sen University in China.

His work has been recognized by several academic and professional awards. In 1993, he was given the Social Worker of the Year Award by the Louisiana State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and in 1996, he received the International Rhoda Sarnat Prize from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). In 2004, he received the Career Achievement Award from the Association for Community Organizing and Social Administration (ACOSA). In 2005, he received the Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Award from the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). In 2006, he was honored by the Global Commission of the Council on Social Work Education with its International Partnership Award. In 2010, he was elected among the earliest batch of Fellows of the newly established American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. In 2019, he was inducted into the California Social Work Hall of Distinction. When he retired from the Deanship of the School of Social Welfare in 2006, he was awarded the Berkeley Citation for his distinguished service to the University (the Berkeley Citation is highest honor the University bestows). In 2018, he was honored by a special issue of the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare (Vol. 45, 4) which contained articles by colleagues and former students dedicated to his work on social policy and social development. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and in 2016 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. In 2020, he received an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Cape Town.

Awards and Honors

Social Worker of the Year, National Association of Social Workers, Louisiana Chapter, 1993.

International Rhoda Sarnat Prize, National Association of Social Workers, 1996.

Career Achievement Award, Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA), February 2004.

Honorary Doctorate (D. Litt et Phil. Honoris Causa), University of Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2004.

Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Award, National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter, April 2005.

Berkeley Citation for Distinguished Achievement and Notable Services to the University of California, Berkeley. May 2005.

International Social Work Education Partnership Award, Commission on Global Social Work Education, Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) for promoting partnerships in international social work education, February 2006.

Dean’s Appreciation Award, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley for Services to the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC), May 2009.

Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, April 2010.

Presidential Award from the International Consortium for Social Development for “outstanding contribution to the advancement of social development and social welfare research, education and practice in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond”, June 2012

Special Citation from the President of Nihon Fukushi University, Nagoya, Japan for “distinguished academic achievements and advice and services rendered to the Graduate School of International Social Development”, November 2012.

Dean’s Champion Supporter Award for financial contributions to the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, March 2015.

Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) Spain, Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa), for contributions to research and scholarship in social development, January 2016.

Pioneers Award from the International Consortium for Social Development for contributions to the organization in its formative years, July 2015.

Inducted into the California Social Work Hall of Distinction, November 2019.

Honorary Doctorate (D. Litt et Phil. Honoris Causa), University of Cape Town, South Africa, December 2020.

Appointment as Faculty Affiliate, Institute for International Studies, University of California Berkeley, May 2022.

Recipient of the James Billups International Social Development Award, International Consortium for Social Development, August 2023. Presented at the 23rd Biennial Conference of the International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD), August 23 -26, 2023.

Expanded Publications

Midgley, J. Advanced Introduction to Social Protection. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishers. 2022.

Midgley, J. & Patel, L. The Social Development Approach to Social Protection. In L. Patel, S. Plagerson & I.Chinyoka (Eds.). The Handbook of Social Protection and Social Development in the Global South. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2022. pp. 57-78.

Midgley, J. Global Trends in Social Protection: Lessons for the United States. In A. R. Roberts & M. C. Hokenstad (Eds.), Lessons From Abroad: Adapting International Social Welfare Innovations. Washington DC: NASW Press, 2022, pp. 57-78.

Midgley, J. Inequality, Social Protection and Social Justice. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishers. 2020.

Midgley, J. Social Protection and Social Development. In S. Todd & J. Drolet (Eds.). Community Practice and Social Development in Social Work. New York: Springer, 2020, pp. 129-138.

Midgley, J., Surender, R. & Alfers, L. Handbook of Social Policy and Development. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2019. (Editor with Rebecca Surender and Laura Alfers).

Midgley, J. Social Development, Asset Building and Social Investment. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. Vol 45 (4), 2018, 11-33.

Midgley, J. Social Protection, Social Investment and Inclusive Development. In C. Deeming & P. Smyth (Eds.). Reframing Social Policy. Bristol: Policy Press. 2018, pp. 251-271.

Midgley, J., Dahl, E. & Conley Wright, A. (Eds.) Social Investment and Social Welfare: International and Critical Perspectives. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers, 2017. 

Midgley, J. Future Directions in Social Development. New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 (Editor with Manohar Pawar).

Midgley, J. Social Investment and Social Welfare: International Perspectives. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishers, 2017. (Editor with Espen Dah. and Amy Conley Wright).

 Midgley, J. Social Welfare for a Global Era: International Perspectives on Policy and Practice. Sage Publications, Los Angeles, CA: 2017.

Midgley, J., Social Development: Theory and Practice. London: Sage Publications, 2014.

Midgley, J., Social Policy and Social Change in East Asia. Langham. MD: Lexington Books (Rowan & Littlelfield) (Editor with James Lee & Yapeng Zhu), 2014.

Midgley, J. & Karger, H. Austerity versus Stimulus: International Challengers for Social Welfare. Special issue of Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. Vol. 41 (2) 2014.

Midgley, J., Austerity versus Stimulus: Theoretical Perspectives and Policy Implications. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. Vol. 41 (2), 2014, pp. 11-32

Midgley, J., Social Welfare Systems. In Masamichi Sasaki et al (Eds.), Concise Encyclopedia of Comparative Sociology. Boston, MA: Brill Publishers, 2014, pp. 217-225.

Midgley, J,, Patel, L. & Ulricksen, M. (Eds.), Social Protection in Southern Africa: New Opportunities for Social Development. Special issue of the Journal Development South Africa. Vol. 30 (1), 2013.

Hoefer, R. & Midgley, J. (Eds). Poverty, Income and Social Protection. New York: Routledge, 2013.

Midgley, J., Social Development and Social Protection: New Opportunities and Challenges. Development South Africa. 30 (1), 2013, 2-12.

Midgley, J & Piachaud, D (Eds.), Social Protection, Economic Growth and Social Change: Goals, Issues and Trajectories in Brazil, China, India and Africa.Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers, 2013.

Midgley, J., Poverty Policy, Development and the State: Toward a Typology of Strategic Approaches. In Ulrich Becker & Frans Pennings, F. (Eds.), International Standard Setting and Innovation in Social Security. Alphen an der Rijn: Kluwer Law International, 2013, pp. 139-158.

Midgley, J., Social Development and Social Welfare: Implications for Comparative Social Policy. In Patricia Kennett (Ed). A Handbook of Comparative Social Policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2013, pp. 182-204.

Midgley. J. & Carzola, A. (Eds.) Planning and Community Development: Case Studies. Madrid: Techincal University of Madrid, Grupo GESPLAN-UPM, 2012.

Patel, L., Kaseke, E. & Midgley, J. Indigenous Welfare and Community Based Social Development: Lessons from African Innovations. Journal of Community Practice. Vol. 20 (1/2), 2012, pp. 12-31.

Midgley, J., Social Protection and the Elderly in the Developing World: Mutual Aid, Microinsurance and the State. Journal of Comparative Social Welfare. Vol. 28 (2), 2012, pp. 153-163.

Midgley, J., Social Protection and Social Policy: Key Issues and Debates. Journal of Policy Practice. Vol. 11 (1/2), 2012, 8-24.

Midgley, J., Development. In L. M. Healy & R. Link (Eds.). Handbook on International Social Welfare. New York: Oxford University Press. 2012, pp. 24-29.

Midgley, J. & Sirojudin, Microinsurance and Social Protection: The Social Welfare Insurance Program for Informal Sector Workers in Indonesia. Journal of Policy Practice. Vol. 11 (1/2), 2012, 121-136.

Midgley, J. & Hosaka, M. (Eds), Grassroots Social Security in Asia: Mutual Aid, Microinsurance and Social Welfare. New York: Routledge, 2011.

Midgley, J. & Piachaud, D. Colonialism and Welfare: Social Policy and the British Imperial Legacy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers, 2011.

Midgley, J., From Mutual Aid to Microinsurance. Strengthening Grassroots Social Security in the Developing World. Social Development Issues, Vol. 33 (1), 2011, pp1- 12.

Midgley, J. & Sirojudin, Social Protection and Community Based Social Security in Indonesia. Social Development Issues, Vol. 33 (1), 2011, pp 13-23.

Midgley, J. and Tang, K. L. (Eds), Social Policy and Poverty in East Asia. The Role of Social Security. New York: Routledge, 2010.

Midgley, J. & Conley, A. (Eds), Social Work and Social Development:Theories and Skills for Develomental Practice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Midgley, J., Global Debates and the Future of Social Development. Social Work Researcher Practitioner, Vol.22 (1), 2010, pp 8-23.

Midgley, J., Retirement provision in the United States: From Welfare Pluralism to Welfare Consumerism’ In Mark Hyde & John Dixon (Eds), Comparing How Nations Administer Retirement Income: Essays on Social Security. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2010, pp. 23-46.

Midgley J., ‘Social Development and Social Work: Towards Global Dialogue.’ In H. G. Homfeldt and C. Reutlinger (Eds.), Sociale Arbeit and Sociale Enwicklung. Scheiner Verlag, 2009, pp. 12-24.

Midgley, J. and Livermore, M. (Eds), Handbook of Social Policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2009.

Midgley J., ‘Developing Appropriate Approaches for Social Welfare in Developing Countries.’ Zeitschrift fur Auslandisches und Internationales Arbeits-und Sozialrecht, Vol. 22 (1-2), 2008, pp. 104-118.

Midgley J., ‘Perspectives on Globalization and Culture: Implications for International Social Work Practice.’ Journal of Global Social Work Practice. Vol. 1 (1), 2008, pp. 1-11.

Midgley, J. and Tang, K. L. (Eds), Social Security, the Economy and Development. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. (Editor with Kwong-leung Tang).

Midgley, J., Welfare Reform in the United States: Implications for British Social Policy. (With commentaries by Kitty Stewart, David Piachaud and Howard Glennerster. London: Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion, London School of Economics. CASEpaper 131, 2008.

Midgley, J. (Associate Editor), Encyclopedia of Social Work, 20th Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. (with Larry Davis and Terry Mizrahi et al (Editors.).

Midgley J., ‘Developmental Social Policy: Theory and Practice.’ In Xuilan Zhang and James Midgley (Eds.), Issues of Developmental Social Policy in China. Beijing: China Social Security Press, 2007, pp. 157-181.

Midgley J., ‘Soziale Entwicklung: Die Roller Soziale Arbeit.’ In Leonie Wagner and Ronald Lutz and (Eds.), Internationals Perspektiven Socialer Arbeit. Frankfurt Am Maine: IKO-Verlag, 2007, pp 129- 148. [Social Development: The Role of Social Work].

Midgley J., ‘Perspectives on Globalization, Social Justice and Social Welfare.’ Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. Vol. 34 (2), 2007, pp. 17-35.

Research interests: 
  • Community, Organizational and Policy Development
  • Development
  • Social Development
  • Social Policy
  • Community Development
  • International Social Welfare
  • Global Poverty and Inequality