Description
Book SynopsisUnder the welfare reform act of 1996, welfare was the first and most basic safety net program to be sent back to state control. This title examines how the welfare policymaking process has changed. It probes the nature of state welfare politics under devolution and contrasts it with welfare politics on the national level.
Trade Review... meticulously researched and elegantly constructed ... an important corrective both to the triumphalism that has overwhelmingly greeted welfare reform and to the suspect theory that lies behind it Political Science Quarterly A refreshing and important contribution ... Her detailed case studies provide the reader with insight into the nuance and flavor of the politics of welfare policy in ways that aggregate statistical studies of the states can seldom match ... Winston deserves great credit for demonstrating the value of qualitative, comparative analyses of the politics of state policy processes in an era of greater devolution. Social Service Review
Table of ContentsPreface 1. Why Devolution Matters Part I National Welfare Politics Setting the National Stage 2. Reaching the Devolution Revolution: The History of Welfare in the United States 3. The Role of "Factions" in the National Welfare Debate Part II State Welfare Politics Welfare Politics in the States: An Introduction 4. Maryland: Welfare Policymaking in a Diverse Environment 5. Texas: Reforming Welfare in a Low-Benefit State 6. North Dakota: Welfare Reform on the Northern Plains 7. Conclusion: Welfare as We're Coming to Know It? Appendices Appendix A: Selection Criteria for State Case Studies Appendix B: Naional AFDC-Related Hearings during 104th Congress, by Committee, Topic, and Date Apppendix C: Actors and Organizations Submitting Oral or Written Testimony in Welfare-Related Hearings, 104th Congress Appendix D: Witness Lists for Maryland Hearings Appendix E: Witness Lists for Texas Hearings Appendix F: Witness Lists for North Dakota Hearings Abbreviations Selected Bibliography Index
