Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media, and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy

· University of Chicago Press
3.7
3 reviews
Ebook
303
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Tackling one of the most volatile issues in contemporary politics, Martin Gilens's work punctures myths and misconceptions about welfare policy, public opinion, and the role of the media in both. Why Americans Hate Welfare shows that the public's views on welfare are a complex mixture of cynicism and compassion; misinformed and racially charged, they nevertheless reflect both a distrust of welfare recipients and a desire to do more to help the "deserving" poor.

"With one out of five children currently living in poverty and more than 100,000 families with children now homeless, Gilens's book is must reading if you want to understand how the mainstream media have helped justify, and even produce, this state of affairs." —Susan Douglas, The Progressive
"Gilens's well-written and logically developed argument deserves to be taken seriously." —Choice

"A provocative analysis of American attitudes towards 'welfare.'. . . [Gilens] shows how racial stereotypes, not white self-interest or anti-statism, lie at the root of opposition to welfare programs." -Library Journal

Ratings and reviews

3.7
3 reviews
A Google user
November 27, 2010
This book is a brilliant exploration of the gap between European and American notions of welfare and the popularity of programs. It is essential in progressive arsenals.
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About the author

Martin Gilens is an associate professor of political science and a fellow at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University.

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