Dilemmas of Social Reform: Poverty and Community Action in the United States [Paperback]

Peter Marris (Author), Martin Rein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0202302563 | ISBN-13: 978-0202302560 | Publication Date: October 9, 2006 | Edition: 2

This title is a classic work on social reform. It is an account of the origins and development of community action from its beginnings in the Ford Foundation Gray Area Programs and the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, through the rise and decline of the War on Poverty and the Model Cities program. In the ruthlessly impartial examination of various poverty programs, two social scientists one British, one American--explain why programs of such sie and complexity have only a minimal chance of success. They describe the realities of reform and point up how the conservatism of bureaucracy, the rivalries among political and administrative jurisdictions, and the apathy of the poor have often hindered national and local efforts. On the other hand, they show how these obstacles can be overcome by an imaginative combination of leadership, democratic participation, and scientific analysis.

This second edition also contains a new chapter that was not included in the first edition. This new chapter, tries to set the study in a broader context: first, by interpreting the political motives and constraints that led to the adoption of community action as a principal strategy of a nationwide war on poverty and second, by discussing the underlying weaknesses of democracy that community action implied and sought to tackle.

Distinguished by an analysis of the major critics of community action, the book provides a balanced perspective of the movement against its many foes. It is important reading for anyone engaged in planning or community action, whether as organier, consultant, official, or politician.

Peter Marris helped establish the British Institute of Community Studies in London. He has been a visiting lecturer in the Department of City Planning of the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently professor emeritus of Social Planning at UCLA and is associated with the program of African Studies at Yale College where he is a lecturer.

Martin Rein is professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. He has worked as a social worker with street gangs, has supervised a number of research projects, and has written about poverty, social planning and the social work profession. He joined the Institute for the Study of Labor as a research fellow in 2000.

Product Details

• Paperback: 319 pages
• Publisher: Aldine Transaction; 2 edition (October 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0202302563
• ISBN-13: 978-0202302560
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,112,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)