The Global Economy and the American Welfare State

The American social welfare state is approaching a crisis because of the global economy. Survival in a new world economy requires corporations to become more efficient, a strategy which leads to a rapidly changing technology, plant shutdowns, and industrial reorganization. To aid corporations, government often curbs taxes to make capital available for investment. These policies can lead to governmental debt, reduced welfare services, a deterioration in the infrastructure, and myriad social problems. This article investigates the effects of the global economy on the American welfare state

Income Maintenance Programs and the Reagan Domestic Agenda

Income maintenance programs are a key feature of the American welfare state. The impact of the Reagan administration’s social welfare policies are examined in this article, which also speculates about the long-term effects of his successes on the future of income maintenance programs. Specifically, this article provides a brief historical background of income maintanence programs, examines Reagan’s ideological and strategic approach to deconstructing the welfare state, evaluates the domestic successes of the Reagan administration, and explores the long-term impact of Reagan’s policies on the future of income maintenance programs

Minneapolis Settlement Houses in the Not So Roaring 20\u27s\u27 Americanization, Morality, and the Revolt against Popular Culture

The article traces the theoretical and ideological development of the Minneapolis settlement house community during the 1920\u27s. As such, the article examines the social control function of Minneapolis settlements through their emphasis on Americanization, morality, the concepts of neighborhood and democracy, and the role of domestic politics within the settlement community. The article also explores the dialectical relationship between the social control function of Minneapolis settlement houses and the altruistic motives of settlement workers

The De-Skilling of Social Workers: An Examination of the Impact of the Industrial Model of Production on the Delivery of Social Services

This article examines the effect of the industrial model of production on the delivery of social services. As part of this study, the effects of technology (used in its broadest sense) and system rationalization are explored, particularly as they result in the de-skilling of social workers. Lastly, the author makes recommendations for the development of alternative criteria for system rationality and the evaluation of efficiency in social service programs

Review of \u3cem\u3eThe Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology and Fair Lending Enforcement.\u3c/em\u3e Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger. Reviewed by Howard Jacob Karger.

Book review of Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger, The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology and Fair Lending Enforcement. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003. $39.95 hardcover

Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEWS Poverty amidst affluence: Britain and the United States, Vic George and Irving Howards, Aldershot,England, Edward Elgar Publishers, 1991, Reviewed by James Midgley Separate societies: Poverty and inequality in American cities. William W. Goldsmith and Edward J. Blakely,Philadelphia, Temple University Press, 1992, Reviewed by James Midgley The new politics of poverty: The non-working poor in America Lawrence M. Mead, New York, Basic Books, 1992, Reviewed by James Midgley The End of Equality. Mickey Kaus. New York: Basic Books, 1992, Reviewed by David Stoesz The Moral Construction of Poverty: Welfare Reform in America. Joel F. handler and Yeheskel HasenfeldNewbury Park: Sage Publications, 1991, Reviewed by Howard Jacob Karger The Dispossessed: American Underclasses from the Civil War to the Present. Jacqueline Jones, New York: Basic Books, 1992, Reviewed by Henry J. D\u27Souza. 213 Poor Women and Their Families: Hard Working Charity Cases. Beverly Stadum, Albany, New York, State University of New York Press, 1992, Reviewed by Leslie Leighninger From Middle Income to Poor: Downward mobility Among Displaced Steelworkers. Allisojn Zippay, New York, Praeger, 1992, Reviewed by Joel Bla

No deals on wheels: How and why the poor pay more for basic transportation

This article examines some of the hurdles faced by the poor in finding and keeping basic transportation. The article examines how the used car industry is organized, the difficulty the poor face in finding affordable used cars, the ins-and-outs of used car financing, and the organization of the fringe auto economy, including Buy-Here, Pay-Here dealers and subprime financing. Also examined are loosely regulated fringe auto insurers and auto title pawns. Lastly, the author offers solutions to help remedy the deleterious effects of the fringe auto economy. © 2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc

America's fringe housing market

Housing is the largest expenditure in a typical family budget and the single largest family asset. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, two-thirds of Americans list their home as their single largest asset. Despite the fact that more than 60 percent of Americans are homeowners, there is a robust and dangerous fringe housing economy that encompasses everything from subprime to predatory lending, and from legal, quasi-legal to outright illegal speculation and lender-initiated scams. This article examines the differences between subprime and predatory lending; various kinds of home, refinancing and home equity loans; and housing speculation

Ending public assistance: The transformation of US public assistance policy into labour policy

A convincing argument can be made that US income maintenance policy would be better housed under the Secretary of Labour than with the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Begun almost 30 years ago, the transformation of public assistance policy into labour policy reached fruition with the passage of the groundbreaking Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), a bill that would dramatically transform the face of the American welfare state. Despite the inclusion of important welfare policies, the PRWORA was essentially labour policy clothed in welfare terminology. This article examines the metamorphosis of public assistance policy into labour policy and proposes alternatives to promote durable labour force attachment as well as ways to ease former recipients into the workforce through equity-based labour policies. Copyright © 2003 Cambridge University Pres