The Reluctant Welfare State: Engaging History to Advance Social Work Practice in Contemporary Society

by Bruce S. Jansson

Book Overview

Written in clear, lively prose this highly respected book analyzes the evolution of the American welfare state from colonial times to present. Social welfare policy connects to an empowerment... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0840034407
• ISBN13: 9780840034403
• Release Date: February 2011
• Publisher: Thomson Brooks/Cole
• Length: 558 Pages
• Weight: 3.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.2" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Information well presented

This is a textbook for a class. I have been surprised at how interesting the topic and presentation are.

Making Sense of America's Social Policies

This is an excellent text that traces the historical trajectory of U.S. social policy from the Colonial period to present. It reinforces the old cliche, "history repeats itself" by showing that our current partisan attitudes about government and social policy are not "new" but are part of longly held ideologies that can be traced back to the founding of America. If you've never quite understood why Republicans and Democrats have such different ideas about social policy and the roll of government in helping its citizens, then this is an excellent source to start with.

reflects American social attitudes

Jansson describe the evolution of the US welfare state over 200 hundreds. He shows how it grew from the frontier mentality that so shaped American society and thought. Then, going into the Progressive Era and into the Great Depression and the New Deal, we see how the society adapted to changing expectations of need. Aided by a continually rising productivity that enabled the country to be able to afford ever more generous welfare. But going into more recent times, under Clinton and then Bush, we see struggles over such things as universal health care. While considered common in Europe, in the US, this was strongly beaten back. The book ends with speculations as to the future directions of welfare, especially under Republican administrations. Not the sort of thing to thrill a leftwinger! But American society tends to be far more conservative than the Europeans, so this should be no surprise.

The most enjoyable textbook I've ever come across!

I was assigned this book for a course I took on social welfare policy (I'm studying for my masters in social work) and actually LOVED reading it. Jansson's writing style is very fluid and engaging, and the material covers issues that I'd wanted to study since I was a freshman in high school but never got to study until now. This was actually a cool read (although, granted, if you're politically conservative, you probably won't be into it like I was), and I recommend it to anyone-- even just for the sake of reading, not just for school.