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 xvi
... individuals in pursuit of their own subjective desires with only rare and incomplete attempts to objec- tively establish causality , program outcomes , and the effects of policy options . The struggle over limited resources between ...
... individuals in pursuit of their own subjective desires with only rare and incomplete attempts to objec- tively establish causality , program outcomes , and the effects of policy options . The struggle over limited resources between ...
Página 4
... individual fulfillment . In contrast , poverty can be seen as defined relative to the customary conditions of a ... individuals deserve more . But even the very low benefits of the American welfare state can be perceived as generous if ...
... individual fulfillment . In contrast , poverty can be seen as defined relative to the customary conditions of a ... individuals deserve more . But even the very low benefits of the American welfare state can be perceived as generous if ...
Página 11
... individual dignity . In defiance of civic Calvinism , American social welfare policy routinely harms those who are not morally depraved . Most of those who receive public subsidies and do not work - children and the totally disabled who ...
... individual dignity . In defiance of civic Calvinism , American social welfare policy routinely harms those who are not morally depraved . Most of those who receive public subsidies and do not work - children and the totally disabled who ...
Página 13
... individual preferences , with only the most casual and occa- sional reference to credible information . Social decision making is constrained from the beginning by received preferences and tradition . In contrast with the typical ...
... individual preferences , with only the most casual and occa- sional reference to credible information . Social decision making is constrained from the beginning by received preferences and tradition . In contrast with the typical ...
Página 14
... individual incapacity , social causation , or actual irresponsibil- ity . The presumed deficiencies of failed citizens are the bulwarks of inequality and socioeconomic immobility . Little of the dispute over social outcomes — not even ...
... individual incapacity , social causation , or actual irresponsibil- ity . The presumed deficiencies of failed citizens are the bulwarks of inequality and socioeconomic immobility . Little of the dispute over social outcomes — not even ...
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