Women and Welfare: Theory and Practice in the United States and Europe / Edition 1

by Nancy J. Hirschmann, Ulrike Liebert

Overview

The social welfare state is believed by many to be one of the great achievements of Western democracy in the twentieth century. It institutionalized for the first time a collective commitment to improving individual life chances and social well-being. However, as we move into a new century, the social welfare state everywhere has come under increasing pressure, raising serious doubts about its survival.

Featuring essays by experts from a variety of fields, including law, comparative politics, sociology, economics, cultural studies, philosophy, and political theory, Women and Welfare represents an interdisciplinary, multimethodological and multicultural feminist approach to recent changes in the welfare system of Western industrialized nations. The broad perspective, from the philosophical to the quantitative, provides an excellent overview of the subject and the most recent scholarly literature. The volume offers a crosscultural  analysis of welfare “reform” in the 1990s, visions of what a “woman-friendly” welfare state requires, and an examination of theoretical and policy questions feminists and concerned others should be asking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813528823
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2001
Series:	Rutgers Series on Women and Politics
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	331
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Nancy J. Hirschmann is a professor of government at Cornell University. Ulrike Liebert is a professor of comparative politics at the University of Bremen in Germany.

Editorial Reviews

When welfare was created, it was envisioned as a means of helping those in poverty survive, yet many policy experts now argue that welfare has created a cycle of poverty that makes it impossible for people to move from the welfare rolls into the workplace. As a result, they have created workfare programs to encourage people to move from the welfare programs into paid employment. This volume focuses on how women are affected by welfare programs and whether or not workfare and other kinds of programs will assist women and their families escape the poverty cycle. This collection of essays derives from a 1997 conference at Cornell, where a number of scholars discussed welfare from a gender perspective. Focusing on a variety of issues, these essays are thought-provoking and extremely well documented, which will encourage readers to look for additional information. An interesting view of welfare programs that will find a home in academic libraries.--Danna Bell-Russel, Library of Congress Yalom, Marilyn. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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