This new edition of Patterson's widely used book carries the story of battles over poverty and social welfare through what the author calls the "amazing 1990s," those years of extraordinary performance of the economy. He explores a range of issues arising from the economic phenomenon--increasing inequality and demands for use of an improved poverty definition. He focuses the story on the impact of the highly controversial welfare reform of 1996, passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a Democratic President Clinton, despite the laments of anguished liberals.
I. The Preventive Impulse, 1900-1930 1. Snapshots of the Poor 2. The Gospel of Prevention, Progressive Style II. Coping and Rehabilitation, 1930-1960 3. The Poor in the Depression 4. The Early Welfare State 5. Withering Away III. Doors to Opportunity, 1960-1965 6. The Rediscovery of Poverty 7. A Culture of Poverty? 8. Girding for War on Poverty 9. OEO: A Hand Up, Not a Handout IV. The Unsung Revolution, 1965-1973 10. The Revolution in Social Welfare 11. The Welfare Explosion 12 Floors and Doors V. Reactions, 1980-2000 13. Stalemate 14. Regression in the Early 1980s 15. Welfare Reform: No Consensus 16. The Amazing 1990s Notes Resources Index
