Government matters : welfare reform in Wisconsin
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Government matters : welfare reform in Wisconsin
(Princeton paperbacks)
Princeton University Press, c2004
- : pbk
Available at 2 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
-
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies Library (GRIPS Library)
: pbk369.1||Me1101018047
Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
"Good government" is commonly seen either as a formidable challenge, a distant dream, or an oxymoron, and yet it is the reason why Wisconsin led America toward welfare reform. In this book, Lawrence Mead shows in depth what the Badger State did and--just as important--how it was done. Wisconsin's welfare reform was the most radical in the country, and it began far earlier than that in most other states. It was the achievement of legislators and administrators who were unusually high-minded and effective by national standards. Their decade-long struggle to overhaul welfare is a gripping story that inspires hope for better solutions to poverty nationwide. Mead shows that Wisconsin succeeded--not just because it did the right things, but because its government was unusually masterful. Politicians collaborated across partisan lines, and administrators showed initiative and creativity in revamping welfare. Although Wisconsin erred at some points, it achieved promising policies, which then had good outcomes in terms of higher employment and reduced dependency. Mead also shows that these lessons hold nationally.
It is states with strong good-government traditions, such as Wisconsin, that typically have implemented welfare reform best. Thus, solutions to poverty must finally look past policies and programs to the capacities of government itself. Although governmental quality is uneven across the states, it is also improving, and that bodes well for better antipoverty policies in the future.
Table of Contents
Preface ix List of Acronyms xiii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 The Development of Reform 18 CHAPTER 3 The Politics of Reform 37 CHAPTER 4 Implementing Work Requirements 63 CHAPTER 5 Local Variations 79 CHAPTER 6 The Emergence of W-2 107 CHAPTER 7 Implementing W-2 132 CHAPTER 8 Paternalism 157 CHAPTER 9 The Decline of Welfare 175 CHAPTER 10 The Effects of Reform 193 CHAPTER 11 Welfare Reform and Good Government 214 CHAPTER 12 Origins of Excellence 245 CHAPTER 13 Implications 261 Notes 279 Index 341
by "Nielsen BookData"