The Politics of Policy Change: Welfare, Medicare, and Social Security Reform in the United States
The Politics of Policy Change: Welfare, Medicare, and Social Security Reform in the United States
by Daniel Béland and Alex Waddan contributions by Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan, Daniel Béland, Alex Waddan and Daniel Béland
Georgetown University Press, 2012 Paper: 978-1-58901-884-6 | eISBN: 978-1-58901-889-1 Library of Congress Classification HN65.B423 2012 Dewey Decimal Classification 361.610973
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
For generations, debating the expansion or contraction of the American welfare state has produced some of the nation's most heated legislative battles. Attempting social policy reform is both risky and complicated, especially when it involves dealing with powerful vested interests, sharp ideological disagreements, and a nervous public.
The Politics of Policy Change compares and contrasts recent developments in three major federal policy areas in the United States: welfare, Medicare, and Social Security. Daniel Béland and Alex Waddan argue that we should pay close attention to the role of ideas when explaining the motivations for, and obstacles to, policy change.
This insightful book concentrates on three cases of social policy reform (or attempted reform) that took place during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Béland and Waddan further employ their framework to help explain the meaning of the 2010 health insurance reform and other developments that have taken place during the Obama presidency. The result is a book that will improve our understanding of the politics of policy change in contemporary federal politics.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Daniel Béland is Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and a professor at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan campus. He has published eight other books, including What Is Social Policy? Understanding the Welfare State.
Alex Waddan is a senior lecturer at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. He is the author of The Politics of Social Welfare and Clinton's Legacy? A New Democrat in Governance.
REVIEWS
This theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich book is an important contribution to the policy making literature, and will help readers understand why things change and why they stay the same.
-- Choice
A lively and readable synthesis of much of the vast social scientific and historical literature on the contemporary American welfare state. It is also an invaluable primer on recent developments in Medicare, welfare, and pension policy.
-- Perspectives on Politics
"This theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich book is an important contribution to the policy making literature, and will help readers understand why things change and why they stay the same."
-- Choice
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
1. Welfare Reform, 1996
2. Medicare Reform, 2003
3. The Failed Attempt at Social Security Privatization, 2005