In the Shadow Of the Poorhouse (Tenth Anniversary Edition): A Social History Of Welfare In America

by Michael B Katz

Overview

With welfare reform a burning political issue, this special anniversary edition of the classic history of welfare in America has been revised and updated to include the latest bipartisan debates on how to “end welfare as we know it.”In the Shadow of the Poorhouse examines the origins of social welfare, both public and private, from the days of the colonial poorhouse through the current tragedy of the homeless. The book explains why such a highly criticized system persists. Katz explores the relationship between welfare and municipal reform; the role of welfare capitalism, eugenics, and social insurance in the reorganization of the labor market; the critical connection between poverty and politics in the rise of the New Deal welfare state; and how the War on Poverty of the '60s became the war on welfare of the '80s.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465024520
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	12/11/1996
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	410
Lexile:	1430L (what's this?)
File size:	670 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Michael B. Katz is the Sheldon and Lucy Hackney Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of numerous books on social policy in America, including The Underserving Poor and Improving Poor People.

Editorial Reviews

According to Katz, the American welfare system that nobody likes has been able to resist fundamental change over two centuries because of its symbiosis with the social structure and the political economy. From his analysis of the history of welfare in the United States he finds that there have always been contradictions among its goals: deterrence, discipline, compassion, control, and patronage. Real reform, unlikely in the near future, would require that both social insurance and public assistance be replaced with full employment at fair pay, complemented by a social wage to all who are unable to work or find a suitable job. A stimulating challenge to the benevolent interpretation of welfare in America; recommended for academic and large public libraries. Harry Frumerman , formerly with Economics Dept., Hunter Coll., CUNY

Library Journal