Research and Policy: An Afterword for the Symposium on the Family Support Act of 1988

1991 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Wiseman
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Family Support Act ◽  
The Family ◽  
Research And Policy

US Social Welfare Policy: The Reagan Record and Legacy

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN O'CONNOR
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Bill Clinton ◽  
Social Welfare Policy ◽  
George Bush ◽  
Social Provision ◽  
The Social ◽  
Family Support Act ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Right

This paper reviews the Reagan administration's attack on the US welfare system during the 1980s. The paper considers the origins, provisions and impact of Reagan's three major pieces of retrenchment legislation: the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, the Social Security Amendments of 1983, and the Family Support Act of 1988. It is argued that Reagan's record in retrenching welfare was limited in budgetary terms, but was successful in making welfare programmes more restrictive. Reagan's welfare legacy is assessed in terms of his attempts at restructuring social provision and shifting the welfare debate to the right. The paper concludes by asserting that Reagan's critique of, and attack on, social provision was accepted by his presidential successors, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Sectionalism and Policy Formation in the United States: President Carter's Welfare Initiatives

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond King
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Formation ◽  
Jimmy Carter ◽  
Archival Material ◽  
The North ◽  
Family Support Act ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Us ◽  
North And South

President Jimmy Carter twice attempted to enact major reforms of the US welfare system. Using archival material from the Carter Presidential Library, this article argues that one major reason for the failure of both initiatives was the persistence of regional divisions between representatives from the north and south in the Congress. This factor is as germane to the welfare failure as poor presidential-congressional relations and changes to the committee seniority system in the Congress. American welfare programmes were institutionalized in such a way that, from the 1930s, building a coalition across sectional interests (as represented by members of the Congress) was nearly impossible: gains to one region constituted losses to the other. The consequence of the way Carter pursued and failed to achieve welfare reform was to enhance the priorities, particularly ‘working for welfare’, exploited by Reagan in the final year of his administration when the Family Support Act was enacted.

Why the Family Support Act Will Fail

Challenge ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. Gideonse ◽  
William R. Meyers
Keyword(s):  
Family Support ◽  
Family Support Act ◽  
The Family

scholarly journals Work and Welfare: Lessons on Employment Programs

1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith M Gueron
Keyword(s):  
Welfare Reform ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Social Welfare Policy ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Ongoing Effort ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Family Support Act ◽  
The Family ◽  
Employment Programs

The nation's social welfare policy reflects an ongoing effort to balance sometimes competing objectives—alleviating poverty and promoting self-sufficiency—in a manner consistent with underlying public values about the primacy of the family and the importance of work. Concern has been growing that the welfare system has not been doing this very well, and welfare reform once again moved towards the top of the policy agenda, resulting in passage of the Family Support Act of 1988 (FSA). This paper discusses what economists know about the potential of one central component of the new legislation: the effort to transform welfare from a means-tested entitlement into a reciprocal obligation, in which getting a welfare check would carry with it a requirement to look for and accept a job, or to participate in activities that prepare people for work. It sets the context for this discussion by briefly outlining why this approach to reform gained support and by summarizing major policy and program alternatives.

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