ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter sets the stage for the chapters that follow in the edited volume. It begins with a discussion of the social, economic, and health inequalities that are a persistent feature of life in the United States. While various public policies and social programs aim to promote population well-being, the social safety net in the United States has lagged behind other welfare states, and both political action and inaction have eroded it in recent years. This has resulted in increasing inequality in various domains that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These circumstances underscore the importance of understanding how public policies, and their associated social programs, shape inequality and the ways in which policy makers’ decisions directly and indirectly impact various life-course outcomes. As a starting point for promoting this understanding, this chapter provides an overview of the social safety net in the United States and discusses how the core principles of the life-course perspective can be used to identify the short- and long-term implications of public policies. The conclusion offers a brief introduction to each of the chapters included in this volume, which individually and collectively address the life-course consequences of specific but interrelated policies and programs.
