Caring for Our Own: Why There is No Political Demand for New American Social Welfare Rights

"In Caring for Our Own, Sandra Levitsky has written a moving and perceptive account of the dilemma facing those who provide care for frail family members. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation with family caregivers and the social workers that attempt to ameliorate their burden, this book uncovers the complex ideological and political factors that have made long term care the neglected stepchild of the welfare state in the United States."-Jill Quadagno, Mildred and Claude Pepper Eminent Scholar in Social Gerontology, Florida State University Aging populations and dramatic changes in health care provision, household structure, and women's labor force participation over the last half century have created what many observers have dubbed a "crisis in care": demand for care of the old and infirm is rapidly growing, while the supply of private care within the family is substantially contracting. And yet, despite the well-documented adverse effects of contemporary care dilemmas on the economic security of families, the physical and mental health of family care providers, the bottom line of businesses, and the financial health of existing social welfare programs, American families have demonstrated little inclination for translating their private care problems into political demands for social policy reform. Caring for Our Own inverts an enduring question of social welfare politics. Rather than asking why the American state hasn't responded to unmet social welfare needs by expanding social entitlements, this book asks: Why don't American families view unmet social welfare needs as the basis for demands for new state entitlements? How do traditional beliefs in family responsibility for social welfare persist even in the face of well-documented unmet need? The answer, this book argues, lies in a better understanding of how individuals imagine solutions to the social welfare problems they confront and what prevents new understandings of social welfare provision from developing into political demand for alternative social arrangements. Caring for Our Own considers the powerful ways in which existing social policies shape the political imagination, reinforcing longstanding values about family responsibility, subverting grievances grounded in notions of social responsibility, and in some rare cases, constructing new models of social provision that would transcend existing ideological divisions in American social politics.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Experience of Contemporary Caregiving Chapter 3: The Transformation of Private Needs into Public Issues Chapter 4: The Construction of Political Solutions to Unmet Long-Term Care Needs Chapter 5: Communicating Grievances-Policy Feedback and the Deserving Citizen Chapter 6: Communicating Grievances-Obstacles to Activism Chapter 7: Caring for Our Own Notes References Index

About the Author :
Sandra R. Levitsky is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan.

Review :
"In Caring for Our Own, Sandra Levitsky has written a moving and perceptive account of the dilemma facing those who provide care for frail family members. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation with family caregivers and the social workers that attempt to ameliorate their burden, this book uncovers the complex ideological and political factors that have made long term care the neglected stepchild of the welfare state in the United States." --Jill Quadagno, Mildred and Claude Pepper Eminent Scholar in Social Gerontology, Florida State University "Sandra Levitsky provides a meticulously researched account of why Americans ask so little of their government, and yet believe that they ask too much. This is a singular achievement, connecting twenty-first century family structures with nineteenth century norms concerning family responsibility and independence. Focusing on how people conceive of the state's role in securing health and economic well-being, Levitsky provides a rich and textured account of American politics and policymaking. Caring for Our Own will shape debate for the next decade." --Susan S. Silbey, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "The personal is not always political, or at least not yet or not easily. In Caring for Our Own, Sandra Levitsky asks why the emotionally and financially demanding experience of caring for ill family members has not fueled a demand for expanded public support. This rich study of caregivers combines sharp theoretical insights with compelling portraits of individuals striving to live up to their own ideals of what it means to be a good son or daughter, a devoted spouse or partner." --Elisabeth S. Clemens, William Rainey Harper Professor of Sociology and the College, University of Chicago "This is an extremely well-written and well-researched book. It is especially noteworthy for combining social policy analysis with qualitative method. We indeed learn a lot from hearing the voices of the caregivers themselves, and it is hoped this will move us to act." --Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare Featured in Health Affairs "...Caring for Our Own is theoretically rich and well researched; it is a must-read for scholars of social movements, culture, and the welfare state." --Julisa McCoy and Ellen Reese, University of California, Riverside "Levitsky has written a theoretically important, engrossing book in a much-understudied area, a significant contribution to the literature and to social policy." --American Journal of Sociology "Caring for Our Own provides a novel contribution in understanding the process of political demand making in the absence of a formalized social movement. By studying the lack of political demand for expanded welfare support for long-term care, Levitsky informs an understanding of the multilayered path toward mobilizationEL.an interdisciplinary field of scholars interested in welfare state development and collective action will like this book, and its findings can help social movement organizations identify factors that contribute to the mobilization of future activists." --Mobilization