Losing Ground (10th Anniversary Edition) : American Social Policy, 1950-1980

This classic book serves as a starting point for any serious discussion of welfare reform. Losing Ground argues that the ambitious social programs of the1960s and 1970s actually made matters worse for its supposed beneficiaries, the poor and minorities. Charles Murray startled readers by recommending that we abolish welfare reform, but his position launched a debate culminating in President Clinton’s proposal “to end welfare as we know it.” A Generous Revolution. The Kennedy Transition -- The System Is To Blame -- Implementing The Elite Wisdom -- Being Poor, Being Black : 1950-1980. Poverty -- Employment -- Wages And Occupations -- Education -- Crime -- The Family -- The View From 1966 -- Interpreting The Data. The Social Scientists And The Great Experiment -- Incentives To Fail I : Maximizing Short-term Gains -- Incentives To Fail Ii : Crime And Education -- The Destruction Of Statues Rewards -- Rethinking Social Policy. What Do We Want To Accomplish? -- The Constraints On Helping -- Choosing A Future. Charles Murray. Reprint Of 1984 Ed. With New Introduction. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 301-316) And Index. "Without bile and without rhetoric [Losing Ground] lays out a stark truth that must be faced: Two decades of well-meaning programs to erase racism and poverty in the U.S. have left those at the very bottom of the ladder worse off than ever."- Business Week This classic book serves as a starting point for any serious discussion of welfare reform. The author argues that the ambitious social programmes of the 1960s and 1970s actually made matters worse for its supposed beneficiaries, the poor and minorities