A poverty of imagination : Bootstrap Capitalism, sequel to welfare reform / David Stoesz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stoesz, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public welfare--United States.

Public welfare.

United States.

Welfare recipients--Employment--United States.

Welfare recipients.

Welfare recipients--Employment.

Poor--Government policy--United States.

Poor.

Poor--Government policy.

Physical Description:

xxi, 203 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press, [2000]

Summary:

Welfare Reform was supposed to end welfare as we know it. And it has. The welfare poor have been largely transformed into the working poor, but their poverty persists. This hard-hitting book takes a close look at where we've gone wrong--and where we might go next if we truly want to improve the lot of America's underclass.

Tracing the roots of recent reforms to the early days of the War on Poverty, A Poverty of Imagination describes a social welfare system grown increasingly inept, corrupt, and susceptible to conservative redesign. Investigating the causes of the ongoing failure of welfare assistance, Stoesz focuses on the economic barriers that impede movement out of poverty into the American mainstream. He explores such issues as the heterogeneity of welfare families, generational welfare, inadequate benefits, the negative effects of time limits on welfare recipients, a fringe banking industry that exploits low-income families, the limited capacity of low-wage markets, and the unavailability of credit.

Stoesz suggests that a form of "bootstrap capitalism" would allow individuals and families to participate more fully in American society and achieve upward economic mobility and stability. This proposal, emphasizing wage supplements, asset building, and community capitalism, sets the stage for the next act in poverty policy in the United States. With its valuable insights on the American welfare system and its positive agenda for change, this book makes a significant intervention in our ongoing struggle to come to terms with widespread poverty in the wealthiest nation on earth.

Contents:

1 The End of Welfare 3

Welfare As We Knew It 9

The Underclass 18

Merton's Constant 23

The End of Welfare 27

2 The Old Maternalism 29

Mothers' Pensions 30

Working-Poor African Americans 33

Professional Involution 36

Cultural Politics 46

The Nanny State 48

Left Field 53

Denouement 57

3 The New Paternalism 60

Controlling the Means of Analysis 61

Behavioral Poverty 69

The New Paternalism 72

The Family Support Act 74

"The End of Welfare As We Know It" 79

Radically Conservative Welfare Reform 84

4 Welfare Behaviorism 87

The Conservative Triumph in Welfare Reform 88

The New Consensus on Behavioral Poverty 90

Welfare-to-Work 91

Jobs Versus Education 95

Learnfare 98

Teen Parenthood 100

Family Cap 103

Paternity 104

Time Limits 107

Wisconsin 109

Diversion 112

Excursus 114

5 The Dynamics of Welfare and Work 116

Welfare Dependency 118

Barriers to Employment 121

After AFDC 127

Upward Mobility 131

Welfare Mothers and Work 135

Perfecting Welfare-to-Work 139

6 Bootstrap Capitalism 142

Strategies of Welfare Reform 144

Capitalism for the Poor 148

The Renaissance of Bootstrap Capitalism 151

Wage Supplements 152

Asset Development 155

Community Capitalism 158

Networking Capital 161

A New Paradigm for Poverty Policy? 164.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-194) and index.

ISBN:

0299169502

0299169545

OCLC:

43245492