The American Welfare State

Author(s):  
George Klosko

Background on the American welfare state. What we mean by welfare states; early history of American welfare state; causal factors in regard to how it developed, and the American welfare state in comparative perspective. We also look at the role of political justification in the development of American welfare programs.

Author(s):  
Dennis C. Spies

Is large-scale immigration to Europe incompatible with the continent’s generous and encompassing welfare states? Are Europeans willing to share welfare benefits with ethnically different and often less well-off immigrants? Or do they regard the newcomers as undeserving and their claim for welfare rights as unjustified? These questions are at the heart of what has become known as the “New Progressive Dilemma” (NPD) debate—and the predominant answers given to them are rather pessimistic. Pointing to the experiences of the US, where a multi-racial society in combination with a longstanding history of immigration encounters very limited welfare provision, many Europeans fear that the continent’s new immigrant-based heterogeneity may push it toward more American levels of redistribution. But are the conflictual US experiences really reflected in the European context? Immigration and Welfare State Retrenchment addresses this question by connecting the New Progressive Dilemma debate with comparative welfare state and party research in order to analyze the role ethnic diversity plays in welfare reforms in the US and Europe. Whereas the combination of racial patterns and party politics had and still has serious consequences for the US welfare system, the general message of the book is that these are not echoed in the Western European context. In addition, while many Europeans are very critical of immigration and prepared to ban immigrants from welfare benefits, both the institutional design of European welfare programs and the economically divided anti-immigrant movement prevent immigration concerns from translating into actual retrenchment in the core areas of welfare.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bram Mellink

Although scholars have recently taken an increased interest in the history of neoliberalism, the ‘breakthrough’ of neoliberalism under Thatcher and Reagan still captures most of their attention. Consequently, the neoliberal project is primarily taken as Anglo-American, while its early history is mostly studied to explain the political shift of the 1980s. This article focuses on the early neoliberal movement in the Netherlands (1945–58) to highlight the continental European roots of neoliberal thought, trace the remarkably wide dissemination of neoliberal ideas in Dutch socio-economic debates and highlight the key role of these ideas in the conceptualisation of the Western European welfare state.


Author(s):  
R. S. Porter

This paper examines forecasts made by writers, medical and non-medical alike, as to the nature of medicine in a future society. In particular, starting from Plato and Sir Thomas More, it explores what place (if any) has been envisaged for medicine in a future Utopian society. By way of an explanatory device, predictions concerning medicine are compared and contrasted to expectations as to the role of the sciences, natural and social. Investigation of the corpus of social prognostications in fact reveals a dearth of glorious expectations as to the future of medicine as such, although certain writings have held out great hopes for biologistic disciplines, such as eugenics. It is often in ‘golden age’ fantasies about the early history of mankind that the most glowing descriptions of complete health are painted. Similarly, perfect health is something often viewed not in social but in individualistic terms. Explanations are offered of these perhaps slightly surprising facts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 189 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-357
Author(s):  
Mikael Rostila

Abstract In this issue of the Journal, Baranyi et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2019;000(00):000–000) examine the longitudinal associations of perceived neighborhood disorder and social cohesion with depressive symptoms among persons aged 50 years or more in 16 different countries. An important contribution of their article is that they study how neighborhood-level social capital relates to depression in different welfare-state contexts. Although the authors provide empirical evidence for some significant differences between welfare states in the relationship between social capital and depression, they say little about potential explanations. In this commentary, I draw attention to welfare-state theory and how it could provide us with a greater understanding of Baranyi et al.’s findings. I also discuss the potential downsides of grouping countries into welfare regimes. I primarily focus on the associations between social cohesion and depression, as these associations were generally stronger than those for neighborhood disorder and depression. Finally, I provide some suggestions for future research within the field and discuss whether the findings could be used to guide policies aimed at increasing social cohesion and health.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Johan P. Mackenbach

Chapter 1 (‘Introduction’) provides a short history of the discovery and rediscovery of health inequalities, as well as a short history and typology of the welfare state, and lays out the paradox that this book tries to explain: the persistence of health inequalities in even the most universal and generous European welfare states. It argues that micro-level studies alone cannot resolve this paradox, and that macro-level studies are needed to identify the determinants of health inequalities as seen at the population level. This will also make it easier to put health inequalities into a broader perspective, for example, that of social inequality per se. This chapter ends with an extensive preview of the main conclusions of the book.


Author(s):  
John Tarpley ◽  
Margaret Tarpley

The influence of religion and spirituality (R/S) on surgeons dates back to the early history of modern surgery and continues into the 21st century. Research topics include intercessory prayer (IP), social cohesion, coping strategies, the role of chaplains and other clergy or faith leaders, and communal activities such as worship. While evidence for benefits of practices such as IP are inconclusive, patients involved in R/S activities or who hold R/S beliefs appear to have improved coping skills and quality of life (QOL). Although R/S has proven value for patients and surgeons, lack of R/S training is a barrier to surgeon involvement in addressing R/S issues such as operative procedures, treatment plans, organ donation, and end-of-life (EOL) situations. Increased training at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate medical levels concerning R/S would provide surgeons and physician colleagues with skills and greater comfort in discussing these issues with patients and families. .


Author(s):  
Thomas Bauman

This chapter focuses on the “Little Pekin,” a theater opened by Robert T. Motts in Chicago in 1904. Chicago's black population around 1900 could not be called segregated in the modern sense of the term. It first provides an overview of the Black Belt, a neighborhood predominated by blacks, before discussing the role of social divisions among Chicago's black populace in the early history of Motts's theatrical venture. It then discusses the Pekin Theater, which Motts called “Temple of Music,” and its three elements that were to remain fundamental to its character: music, family, and vaudeville. It also considers the Pekin's strategy for racial uplift as part of Motts's commitment to his positive philosophy of economic activism. Finally, the chapter describes the entertainment that various performers offered at the Pekin on a nightly basis during its first seventeen months of operations, including bands playing ragtime as well as musical acts, comedians, dancers, acrobats, and other novelties.


1993 ◽  
Vol 160 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
B B Goldberg ◽  
R Gramiak ◽  
A K Freimanis

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