As editors Morris and Hansan make clear, the United States is truly the reluctant welfare state. Unlike other industrialized nations, the United States has never adopted a universal policy to support a minimum economic standard for children and their families. And, with the passage of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, the United States became the first industrialized nation to shift primary responsibility for cash welfare to subordinate units of government.
In this collection of essays by leading experts on welfare policy, the major issues of personal responsibility versus dependence, child development, and federal versus state, local, and private responsibility are examined in the light of the 1996 Act. By objectively analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of current welfare reform, the volume provides significant objective insights for federal, state, and local policy makers. It will also be of interest to students, academic researchers, and the general public concerned with the nature of quality of public welfare policy.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Patrick Babcock
Preface
Introduction by John E. Hansan and Robert Morris
Work in America: Ethic or Mania? by Alvin L. Schorr
The Work-Welfare Conundrum: Some Autobiographical Reflections by Eli Ginzberg
Welfare Reform and the Low-Wage Labor Market: Employment, Wages, and Wage Policies by Jared Bernstein
The Employment Experiences and Potential Earnings of Welfare Recipients by Gary Burtless
Toward a New Generation of Community Jobs Programs by Clifford Johnson
Teaching Work: Vocational Education, Workforce Preparation, and the Future of Welfare Reform by Howard Schweber
Role of Management in Welfare Reform by James A. Krauskopf
How Safe Is the Safety Net for Poor Children? by Martha N. Ozawa and Yat-sang Lum
Initial Returns Show Welfare Devolution Failing by J. Larry Brown and Sandra H. Venner
Welfare Reform: Next Steps by John E. Hansan and Robert Morris
Appendix
About the Author :
JOHN E. HANSAN is Vice President of Capitol Advantage, coordinator of Odyssey Forum, and former director of the National Conference on Social Welfare. His most recent publications include 365 Ways…Retirees' Guide to Productive Lifestyles (Greenwood Press, 1996), The National Government and Social Welfare: What Should Be the Federal Role? (Auburn House, 1997), and Personal Assistance: The Future of Home Care (1998).
ROBERT MORRIS is Kirstein Professor Emeritus, Brandeis University, and Cardinal Medeiros Lecturer, University of Massachusetts-Boston. He is a former president of the Gerontological Society of America and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Public Health Association. Among his recent publications are, The National Government and Social Welfare: What Should Be the Federal Rule (Auburn House, 1997) and Personal Assistance: The Future of Home Care (1998).
