Karl Johnson

Associate Professor

Professor Johnson was born and raised in La Crosse, Wisconsin and lived in Madison and Milwaukee before spending three and a half years teaching in Beijing, China after completing his PhD. Karl’s dissertation focused on comparing social policies across 18 western nations, combining the western welfare state and social development literatures to understand how poverty reduction and economic performance are compatible. Karl continues to publish in the area of the nexus between social development and social policy in welfare states. He and a student research assistant are currently working on a project to explore social development policies in India. He and Dr. Kumar are also working on a project exploring the place of social class in social work education. 

Educational Background

Ph.D., Social Welfare (2010) University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A., Political Science (1994) University of Wisconsin-Madison

Teaching Experience

2015-Present - Assistant Professor, NMU Department of Social Work

2012-2015 - Assistant Professor, Beijing Normal University (BNU), School of Social Development and Public Policy (SSDPP)

Teaching Interests:

As a faculty member with a research-oriented PhD focused on social policy and social development, he primarily teaches macro practice, theory, methods, and policy-focused courses. Karl’s primary assigned responsibility is in the BSW program although he also teaches in the MSW program from time to time. During his time as faculty at NMU, he has also had the opportunity to teach courses that are cross-listed with sociology and political science, as well as an honors program course focused on civil society, citizenship, and social rights in China.

Courses Taught: 

Undergraduate-level 

     Human Behavior in the Environment I and II (SW230, 331)

     Methods of Social Research I (SW/SO 208)   

     Methods of Social Research II (SW/SO 308)

     Social Welfare Policy (SW/PS 341)

     Global Approaches to Social Welfare (SW 345)

     Social Work Policy Analysis (SW 440)

     Special Topics in Social Work (SW 495)

     World Cultures: Social Sciences (HON 302)

Graduate-level

     Social Work Research Methods (SW 541)

     Advanced Standing Research Methods (SW 549) 

     Policy Practice (SW 551)

     Policy Analysis and Advocacy (SW 651)

     Research Methods (BNU)

     Social Policy Theory and International Comparison (BNU)

     Practicum: Issues in International Development (BNU)

     Academic Writing (BNU)

Scholarship

Karl’s research agenda reflects the indispensability of collaboration, power of interdisciplinary scholarship, value of a social welfare perspective that combines attention to practical and applied social problems with rigorous scientific inquiry, appreciation of insights to be gleaned from comparative and international perspectives, and a commitment to social and economic justice. His broad research interests include: the consequences of poverty across the lifespan; the impact of inequality, social stratification and political economy on well-being; cross-national differences in social policies and their impact on social development and economic performance; and, social work pedagogy. 

Select Peer-Reviewed Publications:

Works in Progress:

  • Johnson, K. (submitted). “The Economic Logic of Developmental Welfare State Policy: Clarifying Differences with the Standard Economic View.” Journal of European Social Policy.
  • Ostrander, J. et al. (under revision). “Social Work Student’s Attitudes about Immigrants and Immigration: Implications for social work educators” Journal of Policy Practice and Research.

Select Presentations:

  • “The Economic Logic of Developmental Welfare State Policy: Clarifying Differences with the Standard Economic View.” International Consortium for Social Development Biennial Conference, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kerala, India. (01/09/2025)
  • Johnson, K. and Kumar, V. “Examining Social Class through an Intersectional Lens: Emerging Discourses in Social Work Academia.” Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development (SWSD), Panama City, Panama. (04/04/2024)
  • “Rediscovering the Developmentalist-Productive Roots of Welfare State Policies,” International Consortium for Social Development 2023 Biennial Conference Gävle, Sweden. (08/23/2023)
  • “Rediscovering Social Investment in Welfare State Policies: Back to the Future with Developmentalism.” Joint Conference of the East Asian Social Policy Research Network and Foundation for International Studies on Social Security, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. (07/02/2021)

 

Karl Johnson