Welfare Realities From Rhetoric To Reform [Paperback]

Avoiding rhetorical excess and narrow partisanship, Ms. Bane and Mr. Ellwood criticize both sides in the current welfare debate, those who grow censorious about welfare cheating as well as those who grow starry-eyed about welfare rights. Exemplary in [its] moderation, Bane and Ellwood['s]...book is about why welfare is such a tough nut for the most adroit 'policy wonk' to crack.Provides a broad review of some of the key issues relating to welfare reform by two people who have been in the middle of the battle.An easily read volume by two senior Clinton advisers that contains the single best summary of the key empirical research on welfare dependency, much of it their own.Though hailing from the liberal side of the political spectrum, [Bane and Ellwood] have produced a book which largely steers clear of ideological shoals. Rather, they focus on presenting the reality behind the rhetoric, on which policy should be based...Their thorough research and analysis will help policymakers who do ask such questions design new policies that might make a difference.[The authors] report a wide range of findings helpful in understanding welfare and welfare reform...[and] bring excellent credentials to the effort...The book deserves a wide readership.A brilliant little book.This meticulous research--from the operation of AFDC programmes to examination of dependency theory--offers humane insights into how the system works and how it might be improved. It is particularly well-focused on the plight of the working poor, often forgotten under the hype of dependency and its focus of female single-headed welfare households[Welfare Realities] is a compilation of chapters individually authored by either Bane or Ellwood. Bane's contributions analyze program administration and recommend replacing the 'eligibility-compliance' culture of welfare with an authoritative culture promoting self-sufficiency. Ellwood's chapters reanalyze his and Bane's widely cited but previously unpublished datls"