The institution that i will be following this semester is Social Services Agency. The mission of the Social Services Agency is to "promote the economic and social well-being of individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities." So we see early on that Social Services Agency hovers over about three of the five major social institutions: family, economy, and government. The agency offers a plethora of resources and services to the community including financial aid, training, and other accommodations. Social Services is a government agency that cooperates or collaborates with outside organizations (mostly community-based) to serve the needs of the public. Currently, I have no significant relationship to Social Services Agency. I chose this institution because i have heard of some really great programs that it offers to people in need like CalWorks or Welfare to Work, etc.
I have no extensive background in how the division of labor looks at social services agency, however i imagine that there are some divisions among department, etc. The departments are divided as follows (there are seven departments total): administration and information services, adult and aging services, children and family services, economic benefits, employment services, finance, and lastly policy office. Because Marx largely deals with material production as the basis of life and has an underdeveloped theory of the state i do not think he addresses social institutions like Social Services Agency. Nevertheless, I imagine that Marx would categorize the departments into mental and manual departments. He would probably see class divisions between the higher ranking employees (directors, managers, etc) and general staff (clerks, assistants, etc). Moreover, Gramsci's theory better suits the framework of Social Services Agency with his introduction of civil society as part and parcel to the state. I look forward to following and learning more about Social Services Agency as the semester progresses as it relates to Durkheim, Foucalt, Weber, and the Feminists, etc.
