Stuck in neutral : business and the politics of human capital investment policy / Cathie Jo Martin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Martin, Cathie J.

Series:

Princeton studies in American politics.

Princeton studies in American politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social responsibility of business--United States.

Social responsibility of business.

Human capital--United States.

Human capital.

United States--Social policy.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (277 p.)

Edition:

Core Textbook

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, c2000.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

According to conventional wisdom, big business wields enormous influence over America's political agenda and is responsible for the relatively limited scale of the country's social policies. In Stuck in Neutral, however, Cathie Jo Martin challenges that view, arguing that big business has limited involvement in social policy and in many instances desires broader social interventions. Combining hundreds of in-depth interviews with careful quantitative analysis, Martin shows that there is strong support among managers for government-sponsored training, health, work, and family initiatives to enhance workers' skills and productivity. This support does not translate into political action, surprisingly, because big firms are not organized to intervene effectively. Every large company has its own staff to deal with government affairs, but overarching organizations for the most part lobby ineffectively for the collective interests of big business in the social realm. By contrast, small firms, which cannot afford to lobby the government directly, rely on representative associations to speak for them. The unified voice of small business comes through much more clearly in policy circles than the diverse messages presented by individual corporations, ensuring that the small-business agenda of limited social policy prevails. A vivid portrayal of the interplay between business and politics, Stuck in Neutral offers a fresh take on some of the most controversial issues of our day. It is a must read for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of the American welfare state and political economy.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

ONE. Business and the Politics of Human Capital Investment

TWO. A Century of Business Involvement in Social Provision

THREE. Nature or Nurture? Company Preferences for National Health Reform

FOUR. On the Bus: Business Organization in Training and Work-Family Issues

FIVE. The Least-Common-Denominator Business Community: Corporate Engagement with Health Policy

SIX. United We Stand: Corporate Engagement with Training Policy

SEVEN. An Affair to Remember: Small Business and the Republican Party against Family Leave

EIGHT. Implications for Our Economic Future

INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612753855

9781400812622

1400812623

9781282753853

1282753851

9781400823277

1400823277

OCLC:

705527098