After welfare : the culture of postindustrial social policy

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schram, Sanford F.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public welfare--United States.

United States--Social policy--1993-.

Local Subjects:

Public welfare--United States.

United States--Social policy--1993-.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (415 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : NYU Press, 2000.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Do contemporary welfare policies reflect the realities of the economy and the needs of those in need of public assistance, or are they based on outdated and idealized notions of work and family life? Are we are moving from a "war on poverty" to a "war against the poor?" In this critique of American social welfare policy, Sanford F. Schram explores the cultural anxieties over the putatively deteriorating "American work ethic," and the class, race, sexual and gender biases at the root of current policy and debates. Schram goes beyond analyzing the current state of affairs to offer a progressive alternative he calls "radical incrementalism," whereby activists would recreate a social safety net tailored to the specific life circumstances of those in need. His provocative recommendations include a series of programs aimed at transcending the prevailing pernicious distinction between "social insurance" and "public assistance" so as to better address the needs of single mothers with children. Such programs could include "divorce insurance" or even some form of "pregnancy insurance" for women with no means of economic support. By pushing for such programs, Schram argues, activists could make great strides towards achieving social justice, even in today's reactionary climate.

Contents:

Cover Page; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 Contracting America: The Cycle of Representation and the Contagion of Policy Discourse; 2 Where the Welfare Queen Resides: The Subtext of Personal Responsibility; 3 In the Clinic: The Medicalization of Welfare; 4 Deconstructing Devolution: Racing to the Bottom and Other Ironies of Welfare Reform; 5 Redefining the Family, Redefining the State: The Politics of Incorporation and the Case of Same-Sex Marriage; 6 A New Space for Welfare Policy Research: Benefit Decline on the Internet

7 After Social Security: Searching for a Postindustrial EthicNotes; Index; About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780814771273

0814771270

9780814769713

0814769713

9780585325279

0585325278

OCLC:

913695220