David T. Ellwood

Based on a careful review of the evidence and the goals of public policy (both conservative and liberal), the author develops an analytical framework to provide recommendations for how the then-current system of welfare should be modified. While the book had a significant influence on public debate, and David Ellwood himself served in the Clinton Administration, his recommendations were never fully adopted. Clinton compromised with Republicans in Congress with the result that important pieces of welfare reform were dropped. The current structure of the welfare system is different, but Elwood's careful approach to analyzing the reality and goals of economic assistance to the poor still provides a model for how issues concerning poverty should be examined today in the United States.… (mehr)