Federal Social Policy: The Historical Dimension

Reflecting the growing interest in social policy history, this book provides a penetrating examination of the development of social policy in the twentieth-century America. An introductory chapter serving as an overview to the field is followed by seven original essays which explore the historical context for understanding the formulation, implementation, and administration of social policy. Robert Kelly's Foreword discusses the growth of policy history in recent years. In his introduction Donald Critchlow argues that "policy history" encompasses historical reconstructions of development in particular social policy areas and attempts to make overall sense of policy-making processes. The chapters are presented in two sections. The first, Reconstructions of Policy Developments, includes W. Andrew Achenbaum's account of federal policies toward the aged since 1920; Brian Balogh's discussion of the emergence of the Social Security Board as a political actor, from 1935 to 1939; and J