Debunking Myths about U.S. Social Policy
Buch, Englisch, 280 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 404 g
ISBN: 978-0-691-13833-6
Verlag: Princeton University Press
The Welfare State Nobody Knows challenges a number of myths and half-truths about U.S. social policy. The American welfare state is supposed to be a pale imitation of "true" welfare states in Europe and Canada. Christopher Howard argues that the American welfare state is in fact larger, more popular, and more dynamic than commonly believed. Nevertheless, poverty and inequality remain high, and this book helps explain why so much effort accomplishes so little. One important reason is that the United States is adept at creating social programs that benefit the middle and upper-middle classes, but less successful in creating programs for those who need the most help.This book is unusually broad in scope, analyzing the politics of social programs that are well known (such as Social Security and welfare) and less well known but still important (such as workers' compensation, home mortgage interest deduction, and the Americans with Disabilities Act). Although it emphasizes developments in recent decades, the book ranges across the entire twentieth century to identify patterns of policymaking. Methodologically, it weaves together quantitative and qualitative approaches in order to answer fundamental questions about the politics of U.S. social policy. Ambitious and timely, The Welfare State Nobody Knows asks us to rethink the influence of political parties, interest groups, public opinion, federalism, policy design, and race on the American welfare state.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie
- Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
- Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Gesundheitsökonomie
- Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Arbeit/Sozialpädagogik Soziale Dienste, Soziale Organisationen
Weitere Infos & Material
List of Boxes, Figures, and Tables vii
Acknowledgments ix
Acronyms xiii
INTRODUCTION 1
PART I: Basic Tour 11
CHAPTER 1: She's So Unusual 13
CHAPTER 2: Tracks of My Tiers 27
CHAPTER 3: Twice in a Lifetime 53
PART II: New Horizons 71
CHAPTER 4: Ogres, Onions, and Layers (or, How Republicans Built the American Welfare State) 73
CHAPTER 5: Programs for the Poor Are Not Always Poor Programs 92
CHAPTER 6: Shaq Is Still Pretty Tall: Public Support for the American Welfare State 109
CHAPTER 7: The World According to AARP 125
PART III: Checkpoints and Roadblocks 151
CHAPTER 8: The American States: Laboratories of Democracy or Cryogenic Chambers? 153
CHAPTER 9: Race Still Matters 178
CHAPTER 10: Change versus Progress 192
Notes 211
Index 255
