Introduction -- Social welfare in the new nation, 1776-1865 -- America confronts poverty, 1776-1860 -- Modern America, modern problems: 1860-1900 -- Scientific charity, 1850-1900 -- Progress in social welfare, 1895-1929 -- The birth of a profession: 1898-1930 -- Crises: the great depression and...

In the Western countries poverty has increased along with the resurgence of low-income targeting and the increased conditionality of social assistance. This paper provides new evidence on the relationship between social minimums and income adequacy by examining the extent to which social...