The welfare assembly line public servants in the suffering city Josh Seim

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seim, Joshua David, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Los Angeles County (Calif.). Department of Public Social Services--Officials and employees--Case studies.

Los Angeles County (Calif.).

Division of labor--Califonia--Los Angeles County--Case studies.

Division of labor.

Minority women--Employment--California--Los Angeles County--Case studies.

Minority women.

Public welfare--California--Los Angeles County--Officials and employees--Case studies.

Public welfare.

Women in the civil service--California--Los Angeles County--Case studies.

Women in the civil service.

Minority women--Employment.

Public welfare--Officials and employees.

California.

Genre:

Case studies

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Oakland University of California Press 2026

Summary:

Despite claims that we live in a "post-welfare society," welfare offices remain vital not only for those who depend on them for benefits but also for those who depend on them for a paycheck. This book, a theory-driven case study of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, examines how welfare work has transformed to allow a department of just 14,000 to serve more than a third of the county. Josh Seim argues that frontline workers at this agencywho are mostly Black and Brown womenhave become increasingly proletarianized. Their work is defined less by their discretion and more by a lack of control over the productive process. This is enabled by a "welfare assembly line," where a high division of labor and heavy use of machinery resemble production regimes in factories and fast-food restaurants. With implications beyond the welfare office, The Welfare Assembly Line is a crucial addition to the broader national conversation about work, social policy, and poverty governance

Contents:

Frontmatter Contents List of Tables Author's Note Acknowledgments Glossary of Key Terms and Acronyms Introduction 1. The Policy Factory 2. The Good County Job 3. Seeing Customers 4. Making Participants 5. Disciplining the Line 6. Dis/Connected Conclusion Appendix: Notes on Data and Method Notes References Index

Notes:

Description based on CIP data; resource not viewed

Other Format:

Print version:

ISBN:

0520404173

9780520404175

OCLC:

1569673625

Publisher Number:

CIPO000326611

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license