Few policy texts use the political economy as the lens through which social policy is analyzed. This text depicts how the welfare state has succumbed to the private sector, increasingly being dismantled by capitalism and return on investment principles. When such issues of poverty, health, disabilities, school failure and immigration are juxtaposed against this backdrop, penetrating analyses of root causes of emerge. -- Katharine Briar-Lawson, Dean, School of Social Welfare, SUNY Albany

Based on incisive analyses of economic globalization, class, politics, and bureaucracy, The Assault on Social Policy examines the ordinary speech used to make poverty and extreme inequality seem acceptable, the corporate strategies co-opting the distribution of wealth and other resources, and the negative effect of these efforts on our more vulnerable citizens, such as those with disabilities, incarcerated individuals, children, and the elderly. This second edition incorporates new research on the hotly contested policies dealing with poverty, welfare, disability, social security, and health care. It also takes stock of the ongoing effects of globalization and adds a chapter on education.