The Political Failure of Employment Policy, 1945–1982

The Political Failure of Employment Policy, 1945–1982 PDF Author: Gary Mucciaroni
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 0822991608
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
This political history analyzes the failure of the United States to adopt viable employment policies, follows U.S. manpower training and employment policy from the 1946 Employment Act to the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982. Between these two landmarks of legislation in the War on Poverty, were attempts to create public service employment (PSE), the abortive Humphrey-Hawkins Act, and the beleaguered Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA).Mucciaroni's traces the impact of economic ideas and opinions on federal employment policy. Efforts at reform, he believes, are frustrated by the tension between economic liberty and social equality that restricts the role of government and holds workers themselves accountable for success or failure. Professional economists, especially Keynesians, have shaped the content and timing of policy innovations in such ways as to limit employment programs to a social welfare mission, rather than broader, positive economic objectives. As a result, neither labor nor management has been centrally involved in making policy, and employment programs have lacked a stable and organized constituency committed to their success. Finally, because of the fragmentation of U.S. political institutions, employment programs are not integrated with economic policy, are hampered by conflicting objectives, and are difficult to carry out effectively. As chronic unemployment and the United States' difficulties in the world marketplace continue to demand attention, the importance of Mucciaroni's subject will grow. For political scientists, economists, journalists, and activists, this book will be a rich resource in the ongoing debate about the deficiencies of liberalism and the best means of addressing one of the nation's most pressing social and political problems. Mucciaroni's provocative theoretical analysis is buttressed by several years' research at the U.S. Department of Labor, access to congressional hearings, reports, and debates, and interviews with policy makers and their staffs. It will interest all concerned with the history of liberal social policy in the postwar period.

The Political Failure of Employment Policy, 1945–1982

The Political Failure of Employment Policy, 1945–1982 PDF Author: Gary Mucciaroni
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 0822991608
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334

Get Book Here

Book Description
This political history analyzes the failure of the United States to adopt viable employment policies, follows U.S. manpower training and employment policy from the 1946 Employment Act to the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982. Between these two landmarks of legislation in the War on Poverty, were attempts to create public service employment (PSE), the abortive Humphrey-Hawkins Act, and the beleaguered Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA).Mucciaroni's traces the impact of economic ideas and opinions on federal employment policy. Efforts at reform, he believes, are frustrated by the tension between economic liberty and social equality that restricts the role of government and holds workers themselves accountable for success or failure. Professional economists, especially Keynesians, have shaped the content and timing of policy innovations in such ways as to limit employment programs to a social welfare mission, rather than broader, positive economic objectives. As a result, neither labor nor management has been centrally involved in making policy, and employment programs have lacked a stable and organized constituency committed to their success. Finally, because of the fragmentation of U.S. political institutions, employment programs are not integrated with economic policy, are hampered by conflicting objectives, and are difficult to carry out effectively. As chronic unemployment and the United States' difficulties in the world marketplace continue to demand attention, the importance of Mucciaroni's subject will grow. For political scientists, economists, journalists, and activists, this book will be a rich resource in the ongoing debate about the deficiencies of liberalism and the best means of addressing one of the nation's most pressing social and political problems. Mucciaroni's provocative theoretical analysis is buttressed by several years' research at the U.S. Department of Labor, access to congressional hearings, reports, and debates, and interviews with policy makers and their staffs. It will interest all concerned with the history of liberal social policy in the postwar period.

The Full Employment Horizon in 20th-Century America

The Full Employment Horizon in 20th-Century America PDF Author: Michael Dennis
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350179167
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
Through moments of social protest, policy debate, and popular mobilization, this book follows the campaign for economic democracy and the fight for full employment in the United States. Starting in the 1930s, Dennis explores its intellectual and philosophical underpinnings, the class struggle that determined the fate of legislation and the role of left-wing civil rights activists in its revival. Demonstrating how the campaign for full employment intersected with movements for women's liberation and civil rights, it explores how social groups and oppressed minorities interpreted and appropriated the promise of full employment. For many, full employment provided an indispensable path to racial and gender emancipation. In this book, Dennis uncovers the class dimensions and the resistance to full employment in the US. He demonstrates how the recurring debates over full employment consistently exposed the contradictions inherent in a capitalist society and challenged the assertion that an allegedly free enterprise system automatically generated employment for all.

The President and American Capitalism since 1945

The President and American Capitalism since 1945 PDF Author: Mark H. Rose
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813052076
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description
This volume describes the many ways presidential actions have affected the development of capitalism in the post–World War II era. Contributors show how, since Harry S. Truman took office in 1945, the American "Consumer-in-Chief " has exerted a decisive hand as well as behind-the-scenes influence on the national economy. And, by extension, on the everyday lives of Americans. The Employment Act of 1946 expanded presidential responsibility to foster prosperity and grow the economy. However, the details and consequences of the president’s budget often remain obscured because of the budget’s size and complexity, perpetuating an illusion that presidents matter less than markets. Essays in this volume highlight the impact of presidential decisions on labor, gender discrimination, affirmative action, poverty, student loans, and retirement planning. They examine how a president can influence the credit card economy, the rebuilding of postindustrial cities, growth in the energy sector and the software industry, and even advances in genetic engineering. They also look at how economic gains in one particular area can have ramifications in other areas. National defense strategies have led to the privatization of weapons acquisition and the development of the modern research university to create a defensive brain trust among citizens. Policies aimed at supporting competitive American businesses—for example, in the biotech field—also affect the environment. This book is an important contribution to the history of capitalism, articulating how the president—by supporting policies that promote business growth in all sectors—has helped domestic companies expand internationally and added to a global image of the United States that is deeply intertwined with its leading corporations.

The Politics of Problem Definition

The Politics of Problem Definition PDF Author: David A. Rochefort
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
At the nexus of politics and policy development lies persistent conflict over where problems come from, what they signify, and, based on the answers to those questions, what kinds of solutions should be sought. Policy researchers call this process "problem definition." Written for both scholars and students, this book explains how and why social issues come to be defined in different ways, how these definitions are expressed in the world of politics, and what consequences these definitions have for government action and agenda-setting dynamics. The authors demonstrate in two theoretical chapters and seven provocative case studies how problem definition affects policymaking for high-profile social issues like AIDS, drugs, and sexual harassment as well as for problems like traffic congestion, plant closings, agricultural tax benefits, and air transportation. By examining the way social problems are framed for political discussion, the authors illuminate the unique impact of beliefs, values, ideas, and language on the public policymaking process and its outcomes. In so doing, they establish a common vocabulary for the study of problem definition; review and critique the insights of existing work on the topic; and identify directions for future research.

A New Working Class

A New Working Class PDF Author: Jane Berger
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812253450
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
A New Working Class traces efforts by Black public-sector workers and their unions to fight for racial and economic justice in Baltimore. Federal policy shifts imperiled their efforts. Officials justified weakening the welfare state and strengthening the carceral state by criminalizing Black residents—including government workers.

Careers in City Politics

Careers in City Politics PDF Author: Timothy Bledsoe
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre
ISBN: 0822976927
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Careers in City Politics provides an in-depth view of the vital aspects of local politics-access to political office, individual office holder's accountability to the public, the performance of councils as collective political bodies, and the often high turnover of personnel.Timothy Bledsoe bases his findings on the political careers of more than eight-hundred city council members representing cities with large and medium populations. Tracing how some officials' careers unfolded over five years, Bledsoe studies their reasons for seeking office and examines how successful they were in adapting to their jobs. He evaluates office-holders whose council careers were cut short and those whose lengthy service qualified them as "careerists," paying special attention to first-term officials and to those who used their seats as stepping-stones to higher political offices. In this first-of-its-kind study, Bledsoe offers specific recommendations for restoring some of the lost vigor to local politics.

Reforms that Stick

Reforms that Stick PDF Author: Joannah Luetjens
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1035312077
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
This incisive book examines how and why some major policy reforms endure while others fail to gain traction and embed themselves. Tracing the development of key policy reforms over time, it offers original insight into how to create and embed positive changes that continue to deliver over the long term.

A Way Out of No Way

A Way Out of No Way PDF Author: Michael Greene
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1620325802
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 117

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Book Description
In December 2012, the U.S. Department of Labor classified 12.2 million persons as officially unemployed. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Almost 8 million folks were working part time involuntarily and another 6.8 million had simply stopped looking for work. Neither of these latter two groups--almost 27 million people--is included in the official count of the unemployed released on the first Friday of every month. Statistics like these almost make you want to throw your hands up and scream, "There's no way out!" But in A Way Out of No Way: The Economic Prerequisites of the Beloved Communitya,, Michael Greene argues that's the last thing we ought to do. Rather than sink into a deep hole of hopelessness, the author contends that we should return to the economic thought of Martin Luther King Jr. and to the conception of full employment that constitutes the economic bedrock of his Beloved Community. Greene contends that the full employment/right-to-work agenda that King fought and died for is exactly what's needed to put an end to the twin problems of involuntary joblessness and poverty. What's more, and contrary to popular opinion, Greene argues that realizing King's full employment/right-to-work agenda is fiscally feasible and can even be done without appreciably adding to the nation's debt. More generally, the author contends that a King-like response to joblessness and poverty is a route that leads to "a way out of no way."

Fraying Fabric

Fraying Fabric PDF Author: James C. Benton
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 0252053664
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
The decline of the U.S. textile and apparel industries between the 1940s and 1970s helped lay the groundwork for the twenty-first century's potent economic populism in America. James C. Benton looks at how shortsighted trade and economic policy by labor, business, and government undermined an employment sector that once employed millions and supported countless communities. Starting in the 1930s, Benton examines how the New Deal combined promoting trade with weakening worker rights. He then moves to the ineffective attempts to aid textile and apparel workers even as imports surged, the 1974 pivot by policymakers and big business to institute lowered trade barriers, and the deindustrialization and economic devastation that followed. Throughout, Benton provides the often-overlooked views of workers, executives, and federal officials who instituted the United States’ policy framework in the 1930s and guided it through the ensuing decades. Compelling and comprehensive, Fraying Fabric explains what happened to textile and apparel manufacturing and how it played a role in today's politics of anger.

Executive Leadership in Anglo-American Systems

Executive Leadership in Anglo-American Systems PDF Author: Colin Campbell
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre
ISBN: 0822976757
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
Eighteen distinguished scholars and practicing officials address the problems of executive leadership in the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia. Individual essays focus on cabinet government; domestic, military, and economic advisers; executive agencies; and personal staff for presidents and prime ministers. Provocative comparisons between and among systems make the discussions particularly insightful.