Government Matters
eBook - PDF

Government Matters

Welfare Reform in Wisconsin

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Government Matters

Welfare Reform in Wisconsin

About this book

"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.

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4
•
Chapter
1
Figure
1.1.
Trends
in
Wisconsin
and
national
AFDC/TANF
caseloads.
(
Source:
U.S.
Administration
for
Children
and
Families)
Figure
1.2.
Percent
of
population
on
AFDC/TANF,
Wisconsin
and
the
nation.
(
Sources:
U.S.
Administration
for
Children
and
Families,
U.S.
Bureau
of
the
Census)

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Half-title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Dedication Page
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. List of Acronyms
  9. Chapter 1: Introduction
  10. Chapter 2: The Development of Reform
  11. Chapter 3: The Politics of Reform
  12. Chapter 4: Implementing Work Requirements
  13. Chapter 5: Local Variations
  14. Chapter 6: The Emergence of W-2
  15. Chapter 7: Implementing W-2
  16. Chapter 8: Paternalism
  17. Chapter 9: The Decline of Welfare
  18. Chapter 10: The Effects of Reform
  19. Chapter 11: Welfare Reform and Good Government
  20. Chapter 12: Origins of Excellence
  21. Chapter 13: Implications
  22. Notes
  23. Index