"As Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward argued in the early seventies, in a capitalist economy, social welfare policies alternatingly serve political and economic ends as circumstances dictate. In moments of political stability, governments emphasize a capitalistic work ethic (even if it means...

Contracting America : the cycle of representation and the contagion of policy discourse -- Where the welfare queen resides : the subtext of personal responsibility -- In the clinic : the medicalization of welfare -- Deconstructing devolution : racing to the bottom and other ironies of welfare...