The Politics of Social Policy in the United States (Studies from the Project on the Federal Social Role Book 2)

This volume places the welfare debates of the 1980s in the context of past patterns of U.S. policy, such as the Social Security Act of 1935, the failure of efforts in the 1940s to extend national social benefits and economic planning, and the backlashes against "big government" that followed reforms of the 1960s and early 1970s. Historical analysis reveals that certain social policies have flourished in the United States: those that have appealed simultaneously to middle-class and lower-income people, while not involving direct bureaucratic interventions into local communities. The editors suggest how new family and employment policies, devised along these lines, might revitalize broad political coalitions and further basic national values. The contributors are Edwin Amenta, Robert Aponte, Mary Jo Bane, Kenneth Finegold, John Myles, Kathryn Neckerman, Gary Orfield, Ann Shola Orloff, Jill Quadagno, Theda Skocpol, Helene Slessarev, Beth Stevens, Margaret Weir, and William Julius Wilson. Revised Papers From The Second And Third Of Three Conference Held In Chicago Throughout 1984-1985, And Sponsored By The Project On The Federal Social Role. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Introduction : Understanding American Social Politics / Margaret Weir, Ann Shola Orloff, And Theda Skocpol -- Institutional Limits And Patterns Of Policy. The Political Origins Of America's Belated Welfare State / Ann Shola Orloff -- Redefining The New Deal : World War Ii And The Development Of Social Provision In The United States / Edwin Amenta And Theda Skocpol -- Blurring The Boundaries : How The Federal Government Has Influenced Welfare Benefits In The Private Sector / Beth Stevens -- The Federal Government And Unemployment : The Frustration Of Policy Innovation From The New Deal To The Great Society / Margaret Weir -- Transformations Within The New Deal System. Agriculture And The Politics Of U.s. Social Provision : Social Insurance And Food Stamps / Kenneth Finegold -- From Old-age Assistance To Supplemental Security Income : The Political Economy Of Relief In The South, 1935-1972 / Jill Quadagno -- Postwar Capitalism And The Extension Of Social Security Into A Retirement Wage / John Myles. (cont.) Social Policy, Race, And The Poverty Problem. The Limits Of The New Deal System And The Roots Of Contemporary Welfare Dilemmas / Theda Skocpol -- Race And The Liberal Agenda : The Loss Of The Integrationist Dream, 1965-1974 / Gary Orfield -- Racial Tensions And Institutional Support : Social Programs During A Period Of Retrenchment / Helene Slessarev -- Politics And Policies Of The Feminization Of Poverty / Mary Jo Bane -- Family Structure, Black Unemployment, And American Social Policy / Kathryn M. Neckerman, Robert Aponte, And William Julius Wilson -- Epilogue : The Future Of Social Policy In The United States : Political Constraints And Possibilities / Margaret Weir, Ann Schola Orloff, And Theda Skocpol. Edited By Margaret Weir, Ann Shola Orloff, And Theda Skocpol. Revised Papers From The Second And Third Of Three Conferences Held In Chicago Throughout 1984-1985, And Sponsored By The Project On The Federal Social Role. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.