Social welfare programs in the United States are designed to serve as safety nets for people in hard times, in contrast with the universal approach found in many other developed western nations. In a survey of Cliometric studies of social welfare programs in the U.S., we examine the variation in...

This companion book to the 1980 Census provides the reader with a deeper understanding of day-to-day life in America from 1980 to 1989. Readers will uncover how American life was affected by the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of the Computer Age, and Reagan-era prosperity and decadence....

A companion to the 1970 Census, this book presents 28 profiles of individuals and families -- their lives at home, on the job, and in their neighborhood -- with lots of photos and historical images. These stories portray both struggling, and successful Americans, and capture a wide range of...

"Over the span of two weeks in mid-January 2011, reports of numerous selfimmolations were surfacing in Cairo. On January 17, Abdou Abdel Monaam, a small restaurateur, set himself on fire in protest against a law preventing restaurant owners from buying subsidized bread, forcing him to buy bread...

"Harry and Jack Warner were among the most important advocates and fundraisers of President Franklin Roosevelt during his 1932 presidential campaign, supporting his New Deal legislation in successful Great Depression musicals like 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footlight Parade. But while...