In the ten years after President Clinton made good on his promise to "end welfare as we know it" by signing the reform act of 1996, the number of families on welfare dropped by over three million. This hotly contested legislation has fueled countless hyperbolic arguments from both sides of the political spectrum rather than a clearheaded examination of the actual results of the reform. Robert Cherry steps into the fray with a story that differs sharply from both conservative and liberal critiques. He portrays the women who left welfare as success stories rather than victims, and stresses the many positive lessons of the policy initiatives that accompanied the reform without downplaying the problems it created. The result is an eye-opening look at the ground-level repercussions of welfare policy changes, developments that have been overshadowed by partisan politics for too long. Anchored by solid economic research and policy background, Welfare Transformed comes alive with revealing interviews of key members of the Clinton Administration, directors and staff at welfare-to-work programs and community colleges, and - most importantly - welfare leavers themselves. Cherry carefully explains the factors (racial, social, economic, generational) that spurred and shaped the reform, and moves past partisan rhetoric in his review of its effects. Instead, he pays attention to concrete data and real people's experiences that combine to provide a full account of the legislation's aftermath. Armed with this new view, Cherry offers a range of strong suggestions for transforming successful welfare policies into universal family policies, from strengthening federal economic supports for working families to improving our community colleges. A refreshing take on a lightning-rod subject, this book is certain to foment heated discussions among all who read it.

Welfare Transformed: Universalizing Family Policies That Work

Politics & Social Sciences

Cherry, Robert

Social Sciences

Oxford University Press

Racial and gender employment inequalities are alive and well today. In 2000, the U.S. government offered $508 million to settle more than one thousand lawsuits brought against the federally funded Voice of America by female workers. At the same time, African American employees of Coca-Cola sued their employer, citing the large number of minorities in low-paying jobs, with just a handful at top levels. Even Alan Greenspan has urged firms to eliminate the “distortions that arise as a result of discrimination.”The political agenda regarding this issue is polarized. Many conservative economists claim that financial considerations have led businesses to hire minorities because such practices increase profits. In opposition, many liberal economists believe businesses will hire minorities only if forced to do so by equal employment opportunity policies. Robert Cherry bridges these two positions, arguing that there is some truth to the positive effect of the profit motive, but that market forces alone are not enough to eliminate employment and earnings disparities.            Cherry surveys the political and economic forces that influenced labor market practices in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing on the employment barriers African Americans, women, and immigrants encounter. He then assesses the effects of 1960s civil rights legislation and finds that improvements have been substantial, primarily for college-educated African Americans and women; therefore, he recommends that equal employment opportunity policies be strengthened. Cherry demonstrates how the promotion of full employment can further the advancement of working-class African Americans and women.

Who Gets the Good Jobs?: Combating Race and Gender Disparities

Business & Money

Economics

Rutgers University Press

Racial and gender employment inequalities are alive and well today. In 2000, the U.S. government offered $508 million to settle more than one thousand lawsuits brought against the federally funded Voice of America by female workers. At the same time, African American employees of Coca-Cola sued their employer, citing the large number of minorities in low-paying jobs, with just a handful at top levels. Even Alan Greenspan has urged firms to eliminate the “distortions that arise as a result of discrimination.”
The political agenda regarding this issue is polarized. Many conservative economists claim that financial considerations have led businesses to hire minorities because such practices increase profits. In opposition, many liberal economists believe businesses will hire minorities only if forced to do so by equal employment opportunity policies. Robert Cherry bridges these two positions, arguing that there is some truth to the positive effect of the profit motive, but that market forces alone are not enough to eliminate employment and earnings disparities.
 Cherry surveys the political and economic forces that influenced labor market practices in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing on the employment barriers African Americans, women, and immigrants encounter. He then assesses the effects of 1960s civil rights legislation and finds that improvements have been substantial, primarily for college-educated African Americans and women; therefore, he recommends that equal employment opportunity policies be strengthened. Cherry demonstrates how the promotion of full employment can further the advancement of working-class African Americans and women.

Moving Working Families Forward: Third Way Policies That Can Work

“Cherry and Lerman have written a compelling book that challenges the orthodoxies of both the political ‘left’ and ‘right’, and that promotes a set of policies to improve the economic status of lower-to-middle income working families. All who care about the well-being of working families will learn a great deal from their analysis.” —Harry Holzer, Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University  “Offers highly sophisticated proposals for helping working families advance in the wake of welfare reform. Cherry and Lerman are very expert, and they write very well.”—Lawrence M. Mead, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, New York University   Even as our political system remains deeply divided between right and left, there is a clear yearning for a more moderate third way that navigates an intermediate position to address the most pressing issues facing the United States today. Moving Working Families Forward points to a Third Way between liberals and conservatives, combining a commitment to government expenditures that enhance the incomes of working families while recognizing that concerns for program effectiveness, individual responsibility, and underutilization of market incentives are justified.  Robert Cherry and Robert Lerman provide the context to understand the distinctive qualities of Third Way policies, focusing on seven areas that substantially affect working families: immigration, race and gender earnings disparities, education, housing, strengthening partnerships, and federal taxes. Balancing empirical studies with voices of working class people, they offer an important perspective on how public policies should be changed. A timely approach, Moving Working Families Forward makes policy recommendations that are both practical and transformative.

NYU Press

Cherry and Lerman have written a compelling book that challenges the orthodoxies of both the political 'left' and 'right' and that promotes a set of policies to improve the economic status of lower-to-middle income working families. All who care about the well-being of working families will learn a great deal from their analysis' Harry Holzer, Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University 'Offers highly sophisticated proposals for helping working families advance in the wake of welfare reform. Cherry and Lerman are very expert, and they write very well' Lawrence M. Mead, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, New York University Even as our political system remains deeply divided between right and left, there is a clear yearning for a more moderate third way that navigates an intermediate position to address the most pressing issues facing the United States today. Moving Working Families Forward points to a Third Way between liberals and conservatives, combining a commitment to government expenditures that enhance the incomes of working families while recognizing that concerns for program effectiveness, individual responsibility, and underutilization of market incentives are justified. Robert Cherry and Robert Lerman provide the context to understand the distinctive qualities of Third Way policies, focusing on seven areas that substantially affect working families: immigration, race and gender earnings disparities, education, housing, strengthening partnerships, and federal taxes. Balancing empirical studies with voices of working class people, they offer an important perspective on how public policies should be changed. A timely approach, Moving Working Families Forward makes policy recommendations that are both practical and transformative.

Sociology

Imperiled Economy I

Monthly Review+press

“A work of art, history and love.” In the winter of his 39th year, Robert Cherry, a journalist and author of the acclaimed biography of an American sports legend (Wilt Chamberlain), made a return visit to Africa. His destination was Kpaytuo, the village in the Liberian rain forest where, fourteen years before, he had served as a Peace Corps Volunteer—the first American to live there. The result is "Living Liberia," which introduces the reader to a charming, exotic, bewildering and unforgettable land, although given Liberia’s history, it seems that God Himself, at times, has forgotten it. The book evokes the author’s special and enduring relationship with, and his sharp and witty observations about, the country and its people, including Liberia’s unique history—it was founded by freed American slaves, known as Americo-Liberians, who dominated the indigenous tribal people until they were overthrown in a coup; the challenges of living in a village for almost two years without electricity and running water and teaching with a principal who made up national holidays. Moreover, it depicts the education of a young American in tribal sexual mores and taboos, relates his experiences with, or his reflections about, caste and race; polygamy and the controversial initiation rite of female genital mutilation (FGM); and, not least, records his encounters with a memorable gallery of African idealists and rogues. The author brings the story full circle in the Afterword, where he recounts the fate of his friends and students who survived—and those who did not—Liberia’s Civil War. “Moving, funny and informative” is how one reviewer described the author’s earlier work, fitting words as well for his latest effort—“Living Liberia.”

Living Liberia: Laughter, Love & Folly

Travel

Living Liberia

Jewish and Christian Views on Bodily Pleasure: Their Origins and Relevance in the Twentieth-Century

History

World

Wipf & Stock Publishers

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Jewish immigrants upended Protestant control of vaudeville and the silent film industry. This book rejects the commonly held explanations for this shift: Jewish commercial acumen and their desire to assimilate. Instead, this book argues that the "pleasure principle"--a positive view of bodily pleasures and sexuality that Jewish immigrants held --gave rise to the role of Jewish influence on popular culture, an influence still felt today. After discussing the pivotal ascendancy of Jews in vaudeville and silent films, Cherry explores the important role that Jewish performers and middlemen played in the evolution of popular culture throughout the century, from stage and the big screen to radio, television, and the music industry. He concludes with a broader discussion of Jewish values that helps explain the continued outsized role that Jews continue to play in American popular culture.

Why the Jews?: How Jewish Values Transformed Twentieth Century American Pop Culture

Americas

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

A capturing of basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain's personality and thoughts—known by relatively few people other than family and close friends—is made available to all in this intimate biography. The author, a native of Philadelphia and an alumnus of Chamberlain's alma mater, spent four years researching and interviewing the most important people in Wilt's life to produce these results.

Wilt: Larger Than Life

Sports & Outdoors

Biographies

Triumph Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cherry, Robert. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Cherry, Robert

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cherry, Robert. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Welfare Transformed: Universalizing Family Policies That Work

Who Gets the Good Jobs?: Combating Race and Gender Disparities

Who Gets the Good Jobs?: Combating Race and Gender Disparities

Moving Working Families Forward: Third Way Policies That Can Work

Moving Working Families Forward: Third Way Policies That Can Work

Imperiled Economy I

Living Liberia: Laughter, Love & Folly

Jewish and Christian Views on Bodily Pleasure: Their Origins and Relevance in the Twentieth-Century

Why the Jews?: How Jewish Values Transformed Twentieth Century American Pop Culture

Wilt: Larger Than Life