Penn State University Press Democracy Without Decency: Good Citizenship and the War on Poverty

The conservative attacks on the welfare system in the United States over the past several decades have put liberal defenders of poverty relief and social insurance programs on the defensive. In this no-holds-barred look at the reality of American social policy since World War II, William Epstein argues that this defence is not worth mountingthat the claimed successes of American social programs are not sustained by evidence. Rather than their failure being the result of inadequate implementation or political resistance stemming from the culture wars, these programs and their built-in limitations actually do represent what the vast majority of people in this country want them to be. However much people may speak in favour of welfare, the proof of what they really want is in the pudding of the social policies that are actually legislated. The stinginess of Americas welfare system is the product of basic American values rooted in the myth of heroic individualism and reinforced by a commitment to social efficiency, the idea that social services need to be minimal and compatible with current social arrangements. Review "Appearing during the Great Recession, Democracy Without Decency is a timely indictment of the nation's failure to address the poverty experienced by millions of Americans. Despite the advent of the welfare state, social programs that evolved during the New Deal and the War on Poverty are notable for their inadequacy. Nor do complementary efforts by voluntary private groups compensate for the failure of government social programs. Epstein attributes protracted poverty and widening inequality to Americans' philosophical romanticism, managers' adherence to a cult of social efficiency, and patronage on the part of stakeholders, all bound by popular consensus. Required reading for Obama supporters worshipping at the altar of hope and change." --David Stoesz, Virginia Commonwealth University "Despite a screen of self-deceiving rhetoric, the United States remains one of the most ruthlessly unequal societies in the world. William Epstein's disturbing argument--constructed so powerfully that effective rebuttal seems at times impossible--is that this is so because that's the way the American people want it. Anyone seeking to understand the nature of Western societies needs to engage with this book." --David Smail, formerly Special Professor in Clinical Psychology, University of Nottingham "Epstein makes an interesting case for seeing public policy, in a relatively open society such as the United States, as a generally reliable indicator of popular wishes. His arguments are always vigorously expressed. . . . This book will be of interest to students of American social policy, and will give food or thought to readers in countries, such as the UK, that have looked to the US for social policy ideas." --A. P. Connell, Political Studies Review "This is a compelling work. Epstein is a wordsmith. The writing is concise and prickly. The reader will remember his words and thoughts. . . . It is one of the great social welfare muckraking books of all time." --Harris Chaiklin, Research on Social Work Practice "This masterfully conceptualized book turns policy debates upside down. Economists from Adam Smith to Larry Summers have ignored the facts that breed poverty in the land of plenty. William Epstein's critique highlights the inanity of the poorly designed programs of the War on Poverty as well as subsequent antipoverty efforts and their consistency with mass preferences. Not many social scientists, especially economists, realize that poverty is not an economic issue. The roots of poverty lie in a political climate. It's the 'poverty of culture' that sustains inequality as a national character. In this case, American individualism and its rituals of affirmation of good citizenship perpetuate the corruption of rationality. "Epstein's brilliant analysis brings home the stark realities of the