Author Description

A two-volume set written for a broad audience that probes the experience of poverty in United States history--its political, economic, and social roots, and the policies and social movements that have emerged in response. With the "end of welfare as we know it," many welfare caseloads have lowered, but has the poverty level? How will current programs compare to the New Deal and War on Poverty before them? In order to develop better solutions, Americans must look to the past to understand the full dimensions of contemporary inequality. The two-volume Poverty and Social Welfare in the United States follows the political and social history of economic inequality in the United States.; Editors Gwendolyn Mink and Alice O'Connor examine the conditions, causes, public attitudes, and political responses toward poverty, especially in the 20th century. From Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) to faith-based approaches, living wage campaigns to the World Bank, the volumes feature 300 A-Z entries contributed by historians, policymakers, economists, and advocates. This set addresses the core issues and experiences of what it's like to be poor in the United States for a broad audience. Critical programs such as the New Deal, War on Poverty, and the recent "end of welfare as we know it" receive full attention. Students, social workers, activists, and policymakers can immediately access clearly written discussions on social welfare policies, organized movements, and the impact of race and gender.