Books

Disciplining the Poor: Neoliberal Paternalism and the Persistent Power of Race. with Richard C. Fording and Sanford F. Schram. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press (2011). Disciplining the Poor explains the transformation of poverty governance over the past forty years -- why it happened, how it works today, and how it affects people. In the process, it clarifies the central role of race in this transformation and develops a more precise account of how race shapes poverty governance in the post-civil rights era. Connecting welfare reform to other policy developments, the authors analyze diverse forms of data to explicate the racialized origins, operations, and consequences of a new mode of poverty governance that is simultaneously neoliberal -- grounded in market principles -- and paternalist -- focused on telling the poor what is best for them. The study traces the rolling out of this new regime from the federal level, to the state and county levels, down to the service-providing organizations and frontline case workers who take disciplinary actions in individual cases. The result is a compelling account of how a neoliberal paternalist regime of poverty governance is disciplining the poor today. Winner of the 2012 Michael Harrington Award (APSA, New Political Science), the 2012 Oliver Cromwell Cox Award (ASA, Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities), the 2012 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award (American Library Association), and the 2015 Herbert Simon Award (APSA, Section on Public Administration). The online appendix for the book can be downloaded here.

Remaking America: Democracy and Public Policy in an Age of Inequality. Co-edited with Jacob S. Hacker, and Suzanne Mettler. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation (2007). Remaking America explains how a broad restructuring of government policy in recent decades has both reflected and propelled major shifts in the character of inequality and democracy in the United States. The contributors explore how recent political and policy changes affect not just the social standing of Americans but also the character of democratic citizenship in the United States today. Authors include Andrea Louise Campbell, Richard B. Freeman, Josh Guetzkow, Jacob S. Hacker, Jennifer Hochschild, Helen Ingram, Lawrence R. Jacobs, R. Shep Melnick, Suzanne Mettler, Kimberley J. Morgan, Paul Pierson, Frances Fox Piven, Joel Rogers, Sanford F. Schram, Joe Soss, Deborah Stone, Vesla Weaver, and Bruce Western.

Race and the Politics of Welfare Reform explores the continuing role of race in U.S. welfare politics. After an introduction to the field written by the three editors, the book consists of six sections: (1) Historical processes and the racial roots of contemporary welfare dilemmas: Robert Lieberman, Michael Brown, and Richard Fording. (2) Racial biases in the ways welfare gets covered by mass media and evaluated by mass publics: Martin Gilens, James Avery, Mark Peffley, and Martin Johnson. (3) Racial dynamics of welfare policy discourse: Holloway Sparks and Sanford Schram. (4) Racial bias in state welfare policy choice and implementation: Joe Soss, Sanford Schram, Thomas Vartanian, Erin O'Brien, and Susan Gooden. (5) Race and social policy developments beyond "welfare reform": Caroline Tolbert, Gertrude Steuernagel, Rodney Hero. (6) A final commentary by Frances Fox Piven.

Unwanted Claims: The Politics of Participation in the U.S. Welfare System. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press (2000, paperback 2002). Unwanted Claims presents a comparative case study of two U.S. welfare programs as sites of political action and learning for citizens. The study is based on in-depth interviews with clients, national survey data, and participant observation at welfare agencies, disability support groups, and a shelter for homeless families. Unwanted Claims shows how welfare programs, such as social insurance and public assistance, affect the lives of ordinary citizens. Depending on their designs, such programs can draw citizens into a more inclusive and vibrant democracy or treat them in ways that reinforce their social and political marginality. The study investigates why citizens turn to the welfare programs, how they view their political experiences in the welfare system, and what they learn about themselves and government from their experiences.