Table of Contents

The Poorhouse Era * The Origins and Failure of the Poorhouse Poverty * Outdoor Relief * The Theory and Practice of Scientific Charity * The Transformation of the Poorhouse Building The Semi-Welfare State * Saving Children * Reorganizing Cities * Reorganizing the Labor Market * Reorganizing the Nation From The War On Poverty To The War On Welfare * The War on Poverty and the Expansion of Social Welfare * The War on Welfare

About the Author

Michael B. Katz is the Sheldon and Lucy Hackney Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of numerous books on social policy in America, including The Underserving Poor and Improving Poor People.

Reviews

According to Katz, the American welfare system that nobody likes has been able to resist fundamental change over two centuries because of its symbiosis with the social structure and the political economy. From his analysis of the history of welfare in the United States he finds that there have always been contradictions among its goals: deterrence, discipline, compassion, control, and patronage. Real reform, unlikely in the near future, would require that both social insurance and public assistance be replaced with full employment at fair pay, complemented by a social wage to all who are unable to work or find a suitable job. A stimulating challenge to the benevolent interpretation of welfare in America; recommended for academic and large public libraries. Harry Frumerman , formerly with Economics Dept., Hunter Coll., CUNY