Description: It is widely held that the United States lagged behind the countries of Western Europe in developing modern social policies. But, as Theda Skocpol shows in this startlingly new historical analysis, the United States actually pioneered generous social spending for many of its elderly, disabled, and dependent citizens.
Brief description: Theda Skocpol is Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University. Her previous works include the prize-winning States and Social Revolutions.
Review Quotes: Complex, richly detailed...and grounded in extensive archival research... [Skocpol] has demonstrated that the polity and political institutions do matter... [A] powerful book that will surely generate a great deal of new research and writing about the history of social provision in the United States.--Alex Keyssar "The Nation"