This is the first book to examine debates about, and the practice of, state supplementing of wages. It charts the historical development of such policies from prohibition in the 1830s and how opposition to it was overcome in the 1970s, thereby allowing the increasing supplementation of the wages of poorly paid working people.

Many of today’s social problems—poverty, crime, racism, sexism, drug abuse, unequal access to quality health care or education, threats to the environment, over-population—can seem intractable. James A. Crone’s How Can We Solve Our Social Problems?, Third Edition is designed to give students studying these types of social problems a sense of hope. Unlike the standard survey texts that focus heavily on the causes and consequences of problems, this book is devoted to analyzing possible solutions. It maintains a sense of sociological objectivity throughout, and without moralizing, describes what could be done in America and on a global scale, through government policies, private sector initiatives, and the collective actions of citizens, to address even our most pervasive social problems.

As the baby boom generation gets closer to retirement, the debate over Social Security reform becomes more urgent. Unfortunately, policymakers remain fixated on individual accounts and other ways for the system to accumulate more savings. This narrow focus ignores an equally important, if not more important, challenge--how to address the needs of those who have been left out as demographics and work habits have changed the structure of the American family. In this book, budget experts and social scientists examine the history of family benefits in Social Security and show how changes in the retired population have affected the nature of these benefits and their ability to serve the elderly. They examine the current structure of spousal and survivors benefits and evaluate a variety of reform proposals--including individual accounts--that could improve the living standards of the neediest Social Security beneficiaries. It is essential analysis for anyone concerned about the future of America's most successful social program.