Welfare in the United States: A History with Documents, 1935-1996 / Edition 1

by Premilla Nadasen, Jennifer Mittelstadt, Marisa Chappell

Overview

Welfare has been central to a number of significant political debates in modern America:

• What role should the government play in alleviating poverty?
• What does a government owe its citizens, and who is entitled to help?
• How have race and gender shaped economic opportunities and outcomes?
• How should Americans respond to increasing rates of single parenthood?
• How have poor women sought to shape their own lives and influence government policies?

With a comprehensive introduction and a well-chosen collection of primary documents, Welfare in the United States chronicles the major turning points in the seventy-year history of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Illuminating policy debates, shifting demographics, institutional change, and the impact of social movements, this book serves as an essential guide to the history of the nation's most controversial welfare program.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415989794
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/06/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Premilla Nadasen is Visiting Associate Professor and Endowed Chair in Women's Studies at Brooklyn College. She is the author of Welfare Warriors: The Welfare Rights Movement in the United States (Routledge).

Jennifer Mittelstadt is Assistant Professor of History and Women's Studies at Penn State University. She is the author of From Welfare to Workfare: The Unintended Consequences of Liberal Reform, 1945-1965.

Marisa Chappell is Assistant Professor of History at Oregon State University. She is the author of The War on Welfare: Family, Poverty, and Politics in Modern America.

Table of Contents

List of Documents Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: AFDC in the early years: 1930s and 1940s Chapter 2: New Debates about Welfare, Motherhood, and Work: 1950s and Early 1960s Chapter 3: Welfare Rights and Welfare Reform in the 1960s and 1970s Chapter 4: The End of Welfare as We Knew It: 1980s and 1990s Introduction to Documents Documents Bibliography Permissions Acknowledgments Index

Editorial Reviews

1. Eileen Boris, History/Women’s Studies, UCSB: "Terrific and needed. We just don’t have a book like this that presents welfare from multiple perspectives, including social movement and reform, but also social science and administrative, policy, and governmental. The authors are the people to do this, as their careful choice of documents suggests….I could have used this book for my Women’s Labors course in which I discuss "Welfare as Work" as the basis for an assignment."
2. Mark Harvey, History, UWI-Madison: "My general reaction is positive. I think the authors have identified a need and put together a piece of work worthy of publication….I find the integration of original texts with narrative summary particularly appealing….a promising basis for discussion and development of critical thinking."
3. Michael Reisch, Professor of Social Work, U Michigan: "My overall reaction to the proposed project is favorable. I like the focus of the book and the use of documentary sources to illustrate its major themes. It also appears to be a format and size that would encourage its use by faculty, and facilitate students’ reading….I would consider using this book as a supplemental text in a master;s level course on U.S. social policy or in courses on policy development, social action, or policy development (all of which I teach)."

"With wide ranging perspectives, nearly century-long coverage, and choice documents, this short but powerful collection shows why welfare remains one of the most contentious issues in public policy. Three cheers for Nadasen, Mittelstadt, and Chappell for this stimulating- and provocative - introduction that highlights the significance of race and gender in women's lives."

—Eileen Boris, author or The New Women’s Labor History

"The story of contemporary welfare policy in the United States is complicated and deeply troubled by poisonous conflicts over race, class and gender. Here, however, we have a telling of the story that is admirably clear and concise, and enlivened by the inclusion of the documents that mark and illuminate the turning points in the story. This will be an excellent teaching resource."

—Frances Fox Piven, author of Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America

From the Publisher