Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media, and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy (Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion) 1st Edition

by Martin Gilens (Author)

23 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0226293653

ISBN-10: 0226293653

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers

from

Other Sellers

See all 13 versions

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Clean Earth Books

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

34 used from $8.00

+ $3.96 shipping

$3.96 delivery: March 12 - 19

Fastest delivery: March 11 - 17

Select delivery location

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

29 new from $26.87

FREE delivery: Monday, March 15 Details

Fastest delivery: Wednesday, March 10
Order within 9 hrs and 12 mins Details

Select delivery location

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

Tackling one of the most volatile issues in contemporary politics, Martin Gilens's work punctures myths and misconceptions about welfare policy, public opinion, and the role of the media in both. Why Americans Hate Welfare shows that the public's views on welfare are a complex mixture of cynicism and compassion; misinformed and racially charged, they nevertheless reflect both a distrust of welfare recipients and a desire to do more to help the "deserving" poor.

"With one out of five children currently living in poverty and more than 100,000 families with children now homeless, Gilens's book is must reading if you want to understand how the mainstream media have helped justify, and even produce, this state of affairs." —Susan Douglas, The Progressive
"Gilens's well-written and logically developed argument deserves to be taken seriously." —Choice

"A provocative analysis of American attitudes towards 'welfare.'. . . [Gilens] shows how racial stereotypes, not white self-interest or anti-statism, lie at the root of opposition to welfare programs." -Library Journal

Frequently bought together

Total price: $94.84

Buy the selected items together

This item:Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media, and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy (Studies in… by Martin Gilens Paperback $26.89
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping. Details
City Limits by Paul E. Peterson Paperback $34.00
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping. Details
American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass by Douglas S. Massey Paperback $33.95
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping. Details

Products related to this item

Sponsored
Hide feedback

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Paul E. Peterson
10
Paperback
$34.00
John R. Zaller
37
Paperback
$25.08
Frances Fox Piven
51
Paperback
$15.75
Martin Gilens
27
Paperback
$24.03
Thomas J. Sugrue
94
Paperback
$16.14
James A. Stimson
10
Paperback
$27.99

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

Publisher : University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2000)
Language : English
Paperback : 303 pages
ISBN-10 : 0226293653
ISBN-13 : 978-0226293653
Item Weight : 1.13 pounds
Dimensions : 8.86 x 7.12 x 0.78 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #734,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #752 in Government
- #879 in Public Policy (Books)
- #1,320 in Social Services & Welfare (Books)

Customer Reviews:
23 ratings

Start reading Why Americans Hate Welfare on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload video

Products related to this item

Sponsored
Hide feedback

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1

Customer reviews

5 star		55%
4 star		27%
3 star		5%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		13%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Chan

Great review of the perception of welfare in America

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Very good study on how skewed Americans view of welfare and welfare recipients really is. It's a info dense book, so don't expect a page turner- but if you're looking for really great research material, you'd be smart to look here.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tracey T.

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great read!

Helpful

Drew

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

Gilens is a rockstar, I had to read this book for a polysci class and I really enjoyed it, he makes some good and interesting points and backs them up with tons of data making all his research very reliable. For the period it was written (1998 I think?) he had some revolutionary ideas.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Randy

opens your eyes

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

should be a must read for all Americans

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

bill

Ok book

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

Book was ok. Easy to read and made some sense. The author didn't really take a side just talks stats and his conclusions.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

AUTISTIC WEREWOLFTop Contributor: Photography

WELFARE WAS A FLAWED CONCEPT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, THE IDEA OF PAYING PEOPLE TO BE BONE IDLE WAS & IS JUST PLAIN STUPID

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

No I am not a rabid conservative but, I do think myself a reasonable man. Pay able bodied people to sit home and collect a check and you encourage sloth simple as that. Also fashion a captialist economic system that is unable to provide the number of living wage jobs needed to employ those wanting to work and you create the logical needs based foundation that supports the concept of "Welfare!" Both sides contribute to the disgrace that is welfare. On one side we have the super rich who now have so much money thay can never spend it all. On the other hand we have hard working honorable US citizens toiling away at dead end, low paying minimum wage jobs that make life so hard its just a hint above slavery. Walfare is the admission that while capitalism is a far better system than communism it has its serious flaws. Thw gap between the rich and poor continues to grow. The working poor are increasingly being treated like modern day slaves who suffer long hours, abusive labor practices insisted on by greedy ruthless corporations who would see the streets run red with blood just to make another dollar profit on the bottom line.

Welfare is an ugly truth made neccessary by the failings of capitism in the area of wealth distribution. Welfare is so often seen as a program for the poor when in fact it is a program that aid's the rich corporations. Only because of welfare can today's mega corporations afford to pay the minimum slave wages that maximize profits at the expense of hard working class people. Huge corporations and their disgusting ugly fat cat slob investors are getting rich off the blood and suffering of the working poor. Welfare is a sick system but, let's be clear on who reaps its rewards. A person ellegible for food stamps, section 8 housing or TANIF is hardly living the life of a QUEEN Welfare or otherwise. The true Queens of the Welfare Rackets are the corporations who rake in huge profits by paying employees so little in wages that they and their families qualify for entitlements mean to help the poorest of the poor in our nation.

Oh yes Welfare is a disgrace but their are many reasons and many vilians in the welfare mess and they are not always those you most suspect. Welfare has a corportate purpose in addition to functioning as a safety net for the poor. If corporations were forced to pay a living wage there would be no need for the disgrace of welfare as we know it. It is true welfare robs able bodied working people of the dignity that comes only with work, but corporate greed robs a hard working person of the respect that is owed a person who puts in an honest days hard work. Welfare is a two edged sword both edges cut equally deep in liberal and conservative scared cows. The book lays bare the foolish ideas that are the foundation of the USA's welfare state. Why Americans Hate Welfare is also a book about corporate greed run amuck and how walfare is part of the cost of doing business for those who mega corporate giants that grow fat by paying low skilled workers slave wages. Americans Hate Welfare true but we all know Americans hate higher prices that come with paying a living wage even more the book explores these concepts and does a reasonable but far from perfect job of it.

19 people found this helpful

Helpful

Josh Dziczek

I bought this for a class

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2013

Verified Purchase

I didn't really want this book, but I had to buy it for a class. It's okay I guess. Well written.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

More evidence and research than insight

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2000

This books holds little appeal beyond the realm of Political Scientist. As someone university educated in the field I respect the many years research placed into this book. The explainations are extremely thorough- too much so?- and coupled with extensive graphs and charts. This is a great reference source on the subject of Public Opinion about welfare.
However, the book is a bore. Once you read the preface, introduction and first chapter you've basically finished the book. The rest explains each point- point by point. Interjected between points is explanations of each method used to analyze the point. Is examining the methods used to examine something overkill? Not in itself. However, Gilens drowns casual readers in analysis; and analysis of analysis. He seems to repeat himself often, as if restatement helps drive the point home. After several pages on a topic I could understand by reading a 1 page chart, I just wanted him to move on. Get to the point!
The insights are nothing new to those of use who ignored the dogmatic ramblings of both the ideological left and right for years. Gilens raises questions of racism and classism in people's opinions. That isn't anything new- to some of us
The book gets 4 stars only because of the extensiveness with which it examines the topic. Those intrested in Public Opinion, Welfare or the details of political research should check it out. Everyone else avoid.

29 people found this helpful

Helpful

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Paul E. Peterson
10
Paperback
$34.00
Douglas S. Massey
72
Paperback
$33.95
Frances Fox Piven
51
Paperback
$15.75
John R. Zaller
37
Paperback
$25.08
Thomas J. Sugrue
94
Paperback
$16.14
Martin Gilens
27
Paperback
$24.03

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: chicago stars

Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media, and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy (Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion) 1st Edition

Frequently bought together

Products related to this item

Sponsored
Hide feedback

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Special offers and product promotions