Welfare Reform - Hardcover

by Mary Hombs (Author)

Welfare Reform presents the contemporary debate about welfare reform in the United States with an unbiased, objective point of view.

Welfare Reform examines a wide range of programs and assistance policies of the U.S. federal and state governments. The opening essay sorts out which programs are generally regarded as "welfare," where they came from, and the current trends and issues driving the need for change.

Special attention is given to the block grant programs of the 1980s and the new Child Protection Block Grant proposed as part of the Republicans' "Contract with America." Facts and statistics about welfare programs, recipients of benefits, and public opinion regarding welfare are presented in detail.

This volume represents an important contribution to understanding one of the most debated social issues of our time.

Back Jacket

Welfare reform has been a key political theme in national policy in recent years, making the headlines day after day as politicians and legislators have argued heatedly about the costs of public social welfare programs, the characteristics of the people who use the programs, and the effectiveness of efforts to assist poor and working people. This up-to-date volume begins by discussing the roots and nature of this debate. It then presents a chronology of key events in the history of U.S. social welfare programs; biographical sketches of key participants in the debate; facts and statistics about welfare programs; documents and reports; a summary of relevant litigation issues; lists of print and nonprint resources; a directory of organizations; a glossary; and an index. Readers of all kinds, from students to senators, will find Welfare Reform an invaluable resource for research on one of the most contentious issues in contemporary society.

Author Biography

Mary Ellen Hombs is in a senior staff position at the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance. She is the author of the first edition of ABC-CLIO's AIDS Crisis in America.