ABSTRACT
In the era of "reinventing government" and health care reform, questions are increasingly being raised about what role the Federal government should play in adcfressing societal problems. Such concerns have been deoated for decades. At one pole are those who adopt the view that the Federal government should have no role in this arena; at the opposite pole are those who see social research and social policy as areas in which the Federal government is uniquely positioned to act, with the aim of helping the nation as a whole grapple with the major issues it confronts. The thesis of this chapter is that the Federal government can have an important role in supporting research and demonstration programs, 1) to generate kriowlecfge about the effectiveness of client and system level interventions, 2) to disseminate these findings, and 3) to stimulate the adoption (or adaptation) of those a:eproacfies in community settings.
