American Policy Making: Welfare as RitualRowman & Littlefield, 2002 - 247 páginas American Policy Making will surely create controversy by challenging the prevailing ethos of humanitarianism. Epstein points to the perils of unrestricted subjectivity--the corruption of both social science and social discourse--and argues for a more disciplined approach to policy making. Rather than scientific theory and applied scientific practice, the social sciences have been appropriated to create ideology--corrective myths in support of social denial. The social sciences script fables of cure, prevention, and rehabilitation that falsely testify to the feasibility of inexpensive and culturally compatible solutions to deep social problems. Rather than providing effective service, social welfare programs are rituals of social values, expressing, proselytizing, reaffirming, and strengthening factional preferences. This is a uniquely unsentimental analysis of American social policy-making with great scope and depth, particularly in the personal social services, philosophic and historical dimensions. It is also a bold call to action to create more effective policies for social welfare. |
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Página vii
... security even for those who have worked for decades . The principal role of the social services is performed in affirming Ameri- can values . These values are neither generous nor notably humane ; they endorse the nation's economic and ...
... security even for those who have worked for decades . The principal role of the social services is performed in affirming Ameri- can values . These values are neither generous nor notably humane ; they endorse the nation's economic and ...
Página viii
... security for poor and work- ing people ; on the other , doing more ) corners the dog of social resistance if it fails to offer plausible proof or at least comforting assurances of its effectiveness . The general wisdom in pressing for a ...
... security for poor and work- ing people ; on the other , doing more ) corners the dog of social resistance if it fails to offer plausible proof or at least comforting assurances of its effectiveness . The general wisdom in pressing for a ...
Página xii
... secure future than a reliance on the hysterical ignorance of absolute idealism and collective subjectivity . The efflorescence in America of some of the world's despised minorities may well testify to the possibilities of struc- tural ...
... secure future than a reliance on the hysterical ignorance of absolute idealism and collective subjectivity . The efflorescence in America of some of the world's despised minorities may well testify to the possibilities of struc- tural ...
Página xiii
... security programs targeted on the nonpoor are expressions of social values as much as public assistance personal social services for the poor . Yet the concrete benefits and the generally economic styles of analysis for cash programs ...
... security programs targeted on the nonpoor are expressions of social values as much as public assistance personal social services for the poor . Yet the concrete benefits and the generally economic styles of analysis for cash programs ...
Página xv
... security , it is not so very obvious that the programs are necessary to achieve their goals . Indeed , the Social Security program largely routinizes intrafamilial sharing in the form of intergenerational support while continuing into ...
... security , it is not so very obvious that the programs are necessary to achieve their goals . Indeed , the Social Security program largely routinizes intrafamilial sharing in the form of intergenerational support while continuing into ...
Contenido
Political Theory Ideology and Social Welfare | 25 |
The Willow World of Virtue Rationality and Effectiveness in the Personal Social Services | 47 |
The American Ethos 1 Two Civil Religions | 91 |
The American Ethos 2 America SpeaksThe Pols and Policy Choice | 111 |
The American Ethos 3 Social Welfare Services as Rituals of the Civil Religion | 135 |
Two Romances The Enlightenment and the AntiEnlightenment | 151 |
Science Limited Science and Scientism | 193 |
Conclusion | 211 |
Afterword | 221 |
223 | |
237 | |
About the Author | |
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absolute idealism achieve actual American civil religion American social assumptions attitudes behavioral genetics belief benefits bounded rationality characterological citizens civic contemporary corrective myths created culture customarily defined democracy democratic economic effects elites empiricism ences Enlightenment environment ethos evaluation experience experimental explain failed failure faith foster foster care freedom frequently goals groups human ideals ideology income individual inequalities influence intellectual interventions justify largely ment methodological moral motives natural notably objective operative civil religion outcomes percent perhaps personal social services philosophes political polls poor popular poverty poverty line practice progress psychotherapy public assistance rational choice theory reality reform reported responsibility rituals role Romantic Romanticism satisficing scientifically credible scientism sense Shapiro simply Smith social choice social decision social efficiency social institutions social policy social problems social sciences social welfare policy social welfare provisions spontaneous order studies subcultural tion tradition United values workers