ABSTRACT
Social administration's main inheritance was the British tradition of the social investigation and reform which goes back to the last century. It is represented by the work of public officials such as Chadwick and Simon, philanthropists such as Octavia Hill, social researchers such as Booth and Rowntree, and Fabians such as the Webbs. Richard Titmuss held the Chair in Social Administration at the London School of Economics from 1950 until his untimely death in 1973. The focus on Britain was the result of the main objective of the discipline, which was the improvement of life in Britain through a study of social needs and problems, formulation of proposals for reform, and assessment of the effectiveness of social services in meeting needs. Social progress provided the backdrop of ideas, traditions and even methods to help to carry on the ‘good work’. The academic tradition of the social administration has been pragmatic, Britain-centred, socially concerned, and empirical.
