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 | The Welfare State Nobody Knows: |
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. Christopher Howard is the Pamela C. Harriman Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary. He is the author of The Hidden Welfare State (Princeton). "The Welfare State Nobody Knows goes a long way to fill in the gap left by previous research intended to quantify and categorize the American welfare state. Howard's combination of quantitative and qualitative tools is refreshing."--Carrie A. Ross, Journal of Children and Poverty Endorsements: "Forget what you thought you knew. Christopher Howard takes us on an eye-opening, mind-expanding, entirely unexpected tour of the American welfare state. He describes a big, popular, sprawling, often Republican system that--thanks to cherished American institutions like federalism--does not work very well. Smart, wise, synthetic, funny, and iconoclastic--The Welfare State Nobody Knows is required reading for everybody who wants to know about welfare, about politics, or about the United States."--James A. Morone, author of Hellfire Nation and The Democratic Wish "Christopher Howard is one of the most original and provocative students of the American welfare state--and this book splendidly sums up his insights. We learn that the American welfare state is larger and more dynamic than many have believed--yet, to this day, it fails to ameliorate inequality or poverty. Scholars and citizens alike will find that this book raises questions and provides answers nowhere else to be found."--Theda Skocpol, Harvard University "In The Welfare State Nobody Knows, Christopher Howard compellingly reveals an American welfare state that is at once larger than previously acknowledged and yet incapable of solving the fundamental social problems confronting the nation. The book, which combines narrative accounts and quantitative analysis, is up to date but historically grounded. It is also, at times, appropriately contentious. The book is a must read for anyone committed to understanding the unique character of social policy and politics in the U.S."--Mark A. Peterson, UCLA School of Public Affairs List of Boxes, Figures, and Tables vii INTRODUCTION 1 PART I: Basic Tour 11 CHAPTER 1: She's So Unusual 13 PART II: New Horizons 71 CHAPTER 4: Ogres, Onions, and Layers (or, How Republicans Built the American Welfare State) 73 PART III: Checkpoints and Roadblocks 151 CHAPTER 8: The American States: Laboratories of Democracy or Cryogenic Chambers? 153 Notes 211 Another Princeton book by Christopher Howard: Subject Areas:
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