Overview

One of the United States great promises is that all children will be given the opportunity to work to achieve a comfortable standard of living. That promise has faded profoundly for children who grow up in poverty, particularly black and Hispanic children, and many of the deepening fault lines in the social order are traceable to this disparity. In recent years the promise has also begun to fade for children of the middle class. Education and hard work, once steady paths to economic success, no longer lead as far as they once did. But that doesn't have to be the case, as Duncan Lindsey shows in this articulate, impassioned volume. We can provide true opportunity to all children, insuring them against a lifetime of inequality, and when we do, the walls dividing the country by race, ethnicity, and wealth will begin to crumble. Long a voice for combating child poverty, Lindsey takes a balanced approach that begins with a history of economic and family policy from the Great Depression and the development of Social Security and moves onward. He details the shocking extent of economic inequality in the U.S., pointing out that this wealthiest of countries also has the largest proportion of children living in poverty. Calling for reform, Lindsey proposes several viable universal income security policies for vulnerable children and families, strategies that have worked in other advanced democracies and also respect the importance of the market economy. They aim not just to reduce child poverty, but also to give all children meaningful economic opportunity. Just as Social Security alleviates the sting of poverty in old age, asset-building policies can insulate children from the cumulative effects of disadvantage and provide them with a strong foundation from which to soar. Politicians, pundits, and parents always say that children are the future, but as long as so many grow up poor or without opportunity, that slogan will sound hollow. Duncan Lindseys book should be read by anyone who wants to know how we can take real action to brighten the future for children and for society as a whole.

Full Product Details

9780195305449

Table of Contents

Reviews

<br> This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion of social policies that widen the gap between rich and poor children. It is an excellent chronicle of social policies in the U.S. since the Depression. [T]his essay should stimulate discussion of the long-term and far-reaching consequences of economic disparities among children in the U.S. -- our future. --Doody's Health Sciences Review<p><br>. ..succinct...crisply written...offers sharp, well-reasoned, and politically progressive blueprint for attacking child poverty and its consequences....powerfully argued and engaging--I enjoyed reading it. I very strongly recommend it to people interested in understanding more about the causes of inequality and constructive approaches to child poverty. --Contemporary Sociology<p><br>

This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion of social policies that widen the gap between rich and poor children. It is an excellent chronicle of social policies in the U.S. since the Depression. [T]his essay should stimulate discussion of the long-term and far-reaching consequences of economic disparities among children in the U.S. -- our future. --Doody's Health Sciences Review<br>

This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion of social policies that widen the gap between rich and poor children. It is an excellent chronicle of social policies in the U.S. since the Depression. [T]his essay should stimulate discussion of the long-term and far-reaching consequences of economic disparities among children in the U.S. -- our future. --Doody's Health Sciences Review .. .succinct...crisply written...offers sharp, well-reasoned, and politically progressive blueprint for attacking child poverty and its consequences....powerfully argued and engaging--I enjoyed reading it. I very strongly recommend it to people interested in understanding more about the causes of inequality and constructive approaches to child poverty. --Contemporary Sociology

Author Information

Duncan Lindsey is a Professor at the UCLA School of Public Affairs. He is Editor-in-Chief of Children and Youth Services Review, the major research journal in child welfare, and he was the 2003 winner of the ProHumanitate Medal.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available