Unemployment policy should include New Deal-style work programs

The long-term unemployment benefits Congress passed after the 2008 financial crash expired at the end of December; 1.3 million people immediately lost their benefits, and another 4.9 million people will be affected over the next year. Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg traces the history of unemployment insurance and other policies to help the jobless, concluding that the U.S. needs to revisit the New Deal model of actively putting the unemployed to work

Review of \u3cem\u3eThe Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power. Steve Fraser. Reviewed by Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg

Steve Fraser, The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power. Little, Brown and Company (2015), 470 pages, $28.00 (hardcover)

Review of \u3cem\u3eDemocracy without Decency: Good Citizenship and the War on Poverty.\u3c/em\u3e William M. Epstein. Reviewed by Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg.

Book review of William M. Epstein, Democracy without Decency: Good Citizenship and the War on Poverty. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010. $65.00, hardcover

Rethinking Social Work\u27s Role in Public Assistance

This article presents an argument for revisiting social work\u27s relationship to public assistance in the wake of 10 years of welfare reform. Three case studies drawn from a mixed-method study of the quality of life of former TANF recipients illustrate the range, depth and complexity of the needs of persons while they are on the welfare rolls, transitioning off and living without cash relief. The article briefly traces the history of social work\u27s commitment to and provision of social services for this population and argues that it may be time to revisit the profession\u27s role in public assistance. In light of history and a review of welfare leaver studies and the authors\u27 research, the article suggests interventions that could improve service to the poor, both on and off cash relief. The role of social work in advocating for changes in welfare policy, program and practice contexts is also discussed